The Strategic Paradox of Social Networks

Abstract

During the past few decades, the world witnessed social media s climb from relative obscurity to a primary means of communication for millions of people. Mirroring their civilian counterparts, military organizations and individual service members discovered the benefits of social media services like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The Department of Defense (DOD) recognized social media s value as a tool for strategic communication, and even approved the private use of social media networks on government computers. But the use of social media networks presents risks for military leaders. While imposing control measures may address some concerns, a sense of irony surrounds the military s efforts to harness the productivity of social networks, while attempting to control the information published online.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 18, 2011
Accession Number
ADA553027

Entities

People

  • Robert Cote

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Civil Rights
  • Computers
  • Congress
  • Cyberattacks
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Internet
  • Law
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Social Media
  • Social Networking Services
  • Social Networks
  • Societies
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Economics