publicdiplomacycouncil.org
Tuesday, September 29th 2015
In an essay largely focused on what “sentiment analysis” of social media may yield for decision makers, Navy Commander Bryan Leese, writing in the August, 2015 issue of the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, commented:
The Internet and social media have made everyone a player in the use of information as an element of power. A single person, group, or collective can impact the “I” portion of the DIME (diplomatic, information, military, and economics) power model with effects on par with those previously seen by well-crafted strategic communication messages from state governments. However, as Richard A. Lindsey of the Small Wars Journal noted, “There comes a point in any insurgency where it must move beyond the reach of social media, and tangible gains must be made on the ground.” His point is that while social media has weaponized information at the individual level, it still requires physical, and most times armed action, to make a revolution successful.
Note: The link opens on several professional notes. Scroll down for Commander Leese's essay on the social media.
