The self-proclaimed Islamic State has attracted additional followers, in part through a strong commitment to social media and having its messages go viral.

A team of ASU researchers has picked up a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to figure out what’s been especially effective for ISIS and what’s worked in countering its messages.

We spoke with Paulo Shakarian, a member of the team and Director of the Cyber-Socio Intelligent Systems Lab at ASU.