US vs IS: The role of the visual image in enlisting and renewing support for armed groups in Iraq

This article claims that the visual image contributes to, reflects and supports the dominant discourse of two powerful armed groups that have operated in Iraq: the US military and the Islamic State. The article claims that in the current postmodern climate of mass media and Internet communications, the visual image – allied to oral communication – has transcended the power of the mere spoken or written word: as a result of its emotional impact. This article explores three crucial insights into the ideological power of the visual image – the framing or interpretation of responsibilities and violence in media production, the power of the image as spectatorship based on emotion and spectacle, and the sublime or transcendental nature of the visual image – concluding that Islamic State recruitment clips and news reports best capture the concept of the sublime, drowning the audience in mystery, horror and guilt.