Assessing the Potential of Societal Verification by Means of New Media
Abstract
This paper begins with a few definitions that will help to clarify the later discussion on capabilities of these technologies. "Social media," for example is frequently used as a type of shorthand to refer to a broad array of Internet-enabled technologies. Rather than adopt this blanket term, the paper offers a typology of capabilities and attempts to place social media within a broader "new media" context. Once the definitions and typology have been explored, we provide a summary of some of the research that has been conducted into the field, starting with its basis in social theory and mathematics, and progressing to recent breakthroughs in computer modeling and large scale online experimentation. This section will also highlight some of the empirical evidence documenting the capabilities and limitations of 3 the technologies as well as provide an overview of concepts such as "crowdsourcing," "virality," and "diffusion." Following our review of the research literature, we present a comprehensive case study which we believe demonstrates some of the potential of new media technologies to support nonproliferation and arms control goals. Examples are drawn from the fields of commercial satellite imagery analysis, text and data mining of public information, and the gaming and simulation community. With the examples and lessons in hand, we will present a short list of general guidelines for the use of these technologies in a nonproliferation context. Finally, we conclude with some recommendations for policymakers to consider with respect to the use of new media tools.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA601495
Entities
People
- Bryan Lee
- Jeffrey Lewis
- Melissa Hanham
Organizations
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey