If you are looking to influence people, the Internet and more specifically, social media, have emerged as the tools of choice.
Just think for a moment about the cost and time it would take to create a physical pamphlet and get it out to where billions of individuals would have access to it and compare that to social media! Social media and the Internet in general have evolved into an extremely capable psychological weapon. Businesses and organizations may refer to it as a tool for competitive advantage and marketing; but make no mistake, they are using the massive reach of social media and the Internet as a weapon.
Note: Psychological warfare has been traced back to the 13th century AD.
With over 3 billion people now connected to the Internet worldwide, well-designed propaganda campaigns are being launched and waged to win the hearts and minds of millions. That fertile ground is what has attracted nation-states, virtual-states, activists, criminal organizations and terrorists to leverage social media and the Internet to further their causes. These groups have realized that this is not a "throw it up and see what sticks." No, they create well thought-out postings that result in psychological effects on its intended targets. The influence and impacts these campaigns have should not be underestimated.
Intel: One U.S. 3-letter special agent said, "You could influence an election with this."
One modern warfare scholar put it best, "Power and influence perceived is power and influence achieved." That certainly is the case when it comes to the Internet and social media.
What capabilities can be deployed to defend against this every present and growing issue? Recently, multiple reports suggest that ISIS / ISIL posts 100,000 tweets per day. One has to wonder how much of their activity is on the Dark Web, and not known, analyzed or reported. Think about how many individuals and how much time would be required to read all those tweets, analyze them, craft a response to counteract them, get that approved and then post them.
Earlier: Exploring the 'dark web'
Social media has evolved into a significant and challenging force to be reckoned with! It does not matter if you are in business, a politician, an activist, the military or a government you are in a social media war that you must win!
