Title: How Social Media is Changing Conflict · Peace Science Digest
Headings: How Social Media is Changing Conflict
How Social Media is Changing Conflict
Talking Points
Summary
Contemporary Relevance
Practical Implications
Continued Reading
Footnotes

Content: Connections between activists are made easier, coordination and communication are less costly. Moreover, potential allies and activists can be targeted and recruited—a point primarily examined in the context of political violence and radicalization (e.g. ISIS), but also in the context of nonviolent social movements (e.g. the 2017 Women’s March). Less focus, according to the author, has been placed on how elites/leaders use social media. This is surprising, given that leaders and governments are heavily active on social media to campaign, to gather support for their issues at home and abroad, and to influence and/or bypass traditional media. Such broad and disparate findings make it important to provide a conceptual framework on the impact of social media on conflict. The author proposes four points: ( 1) Social media makes communication for individuals and groups easier. They can challenge the state outside of mainstream media. Likewise, regimes can manipulate social media with fake users to give the appearance of broad support. ( 2) The speed and spread of information is increased by social media. “