Blogging from the Battlefield: A New Communications Strategy

Abstract

The internet and the new media it created have changed the way the world communicates. Ideas are spread faster and to more people than ever before. In addition, these ideas can come from anyone in the world. The US must adapt to and make use of the advantages of the new media environment while denying those advantages to its enemies if it is going to conduct effective strategic communications. One of the main advantages that the new media presents is the ability for a dialogue to develop between the communicator and the audience. Using this dialogue as a measure of effectiveness, the US can adjust its actions and narrative to better achieve its desired outcome. Blogs are the best vehicle for developing a dialogue in the new media. Furthermore, the execution of these blogs should be conducted in a decentralized manner at the tactical level. Conducting blogs at the tactical level is the best way for the US to fully exploit the advantages provided by the new media. However, along with these advantages, the new media also presents a number of challenges that the US will have to manage in order to adapt to the new media.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 11, 2011
Accession Number
ADA600321

Entities

People

  • Douglas T. Campbell

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Battlefields
  • Computer Networks
  • Environment
  • Information Operations
  • Internet
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • Operations Security
  • Psychological Operations
  • Social Media
  • Strategic Communications
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Strategic Security Studies