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WE KNOW only too well the power that Islamic State wields on social media. After every atrocity, slickly produced images and video quickly circulate online.

The jihadist group is also expert at using social media for propaganda and recruitment. But now a closer look at ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts is giving intriguing insights into how the group governs its territories.

, an analyst for the think tank in Philadelphia, has been studying ISIS tweets since about April 2013. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when you begin to see the trappings of some kind of proto-state,鈥� says Al-Tamimi.

A report in March by non-profit group the Brookings Institution in Washington DC showed that ISIS supporters operated more than 40,000 Twitter accounts last year. Most are of no use to researchers, says Al-Tamimi. He is interested in those that originate in territory that ISIS occupies, and which have published documents that give insight into how ISIS operates. For example, some describe the state institutions and new laws that ISIS introduces. Documents include a new curriculum for the University of Mosul in Syria, which cancels all lessons in philosophy, English or French literature and tourism. Another account operated by ISIS administration in Iraq issues strict new rules about issues as prosaic as : a 5000 dinar fine (拢3) is to be levied for throwing litter from a car; a 25000 dinar fine is imposed on fly tippers.

Other tweeted documents are more surprising. One details a . This suggests IS is a more modern group than the Taliban, says Al-Tamimi. The Taliban banned vaccinations in Helmand province in Afghanistan last year .

The same move towards the apparatus of a state has been seen in Ar Raqqah in northern Syria, the group鈥檚 de facto capital, where the education department is putting into place school curricula, and arranging sharia sessions for teachers. The posts also show how ISIS is unable to provide electricity for some of its territories and that there are shortages of medical supplies.

For Al-Tamimi, these attempts to provide a governmental framework help ISIS control its territory, and might explain its dominance over other groups in Syria. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot more complicated, much more developed,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he model we see brings a sense of order rather than civil war, that鈥檚 why you don鈥檛 really have any local rivals.鈥�

鈥淚SIS鈥檚 model brings a sense of order rather than civil war. That鈥檚 why they don鈥檛 really have local rivals鈥�

It might also make the West pause if it wants to arm rebel groups against ISIS. 鈥淚n Syria, the locals will not welcome local rebels if they cannot offer a viable form of governance,鈥� says Al-Tamimi. Air raids will only go so far. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just drive them out, you have to offer some sort of governance. Just bombing places to oblivion is not going to help.鈥�

Looking at how ISIS develops could also reveal how the group鈥檚 methods are being copied in other areas, such as in Libya and with jihadist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, he says. In Derna in eastern Libya, moves to create education departments show how advanced the group鈥檚 presence in the region is. And long before Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS, its official Twitter feed was co-opting songs and videos produced by ISIS.

鈥淲e can learn a tremendous amount about ISIS from social media, but you have to approach the material with a sceptical eye,鈥� says J. M. Berger of the Brookings Institution. 鈥淣o other extremist group has so many people dedicated to social media activism, working in such a coordinated way,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ocial media information can make ISIS look bigger and more powerful than it really is.鈥�

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淚SIS tweets reveal secrets鈥�