Al-Shabaab 's : Peter Bergen was first major attack in which terrorists provided Twitter commentary . Terrorism has always been about theater , but use of social media takes it further , he says . According to an authoritative study of Al-Shabaab 's use of social media by the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence , the group has been active on Twitter since December 2011 , sending out a steady stream of tweets to at one point more than 15,000 followers that has included a good number of journalists and terrorism analysts . CNN says Peter Bergen tweets were a way for the group to shape media coverage .
Al-Shabaab 's : Peter Bergen was first major attack in which terrorists provided Twitter commentary . Terrorism has always been about theater , but use of social media takes it further , he says . CNN says Peter Bergen tweets were a way for the group to shape media coverage .