Social Media Has Been Weaponised

Many people now rely on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram to find and connect with each other. Our growing love of social media is not just changing the way we communicate, it’s changing the way we do business, the way we are governed, and the way we live in society all at breakneck speed. The recent mob attack on the US Capitol shares a familiar pattern with the use of social media to recruit and organise extremists and has been used by ISIS and other terrorist groups.

 As social media is a relatively new technology, there's little research to establish the long-term consequences, good or bad, of its use.  However, multiple studies have also found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.

While there are benefits, it’s important to remember that social media can never be a replacement for real-world human connection. It requires in-person contact with others to trigger the hormones that alleviate stress and make you feel happier, healthier, and more positive. The latest figures show that there are 3.78 billion social media users worldwide in 2021, a five percent increase from a year ago. It is also 920 million more than the number of social users in 2017, which represents a whopping 32.2 percent jump in just five years. The average annual growth rate over this period is 7.2 percent. 

Social media has become a major part of numerous lives through countless websites and apps and people have been able to connect with others and share their thoughts, emotions and experiences. It’s been able to provide a source of entertainment and shopping, and many businesses have even found it useful for promotion and marketing.

At this point, social media has had such a huge impact on society that it seems like many people couldn’t live without it. 

Social media has also had a number of disadvantages that have affected our lives. This includes the result of major problems having to do with mental health issues, insecurities about one’s self, and addiction. Through the weaponisation of social media, the Internet is changing war and politics, just as war and politics are changing the internet. Terrorists livestream their attacks, “Twitter wars” produce real world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the very fate of nations. 

The result is that armed conflict, technology and and politics have blurred together and turned into a new kind of battle space that plays out on our smartphones.

The first wars in human history were fought with sticks and stones, but modern warfare is a high-tech battlefield where social media has emerged as a surprising effective weapon. From Russian hacking to influence the American election to online recruitment for terror groups such as ISIS, an array of players are using false news and bogus accounts to stoke fear, incite violence and manipulate outcomes.

During the Arab Spring, the power of social media to drive major political change burst onto the world stage. The promise of Twitter and Facebook to help democratically minded protesters share information, organise protests and ultimately free themselves from dictatorships looked almost unstoppable.  However, hoped for democratic gains across the Arab world have proved unsustainable and another aspect of the technology became prominent emerged. Within a few years, Isis was using the Internet to mobilise recruits, spread propaganda, and encourage attacks in the United States and elsewhere. 

Then there came an actual attack on the US conducted via social media itself, the spread of Russian disinformation as part of an effort to sway the 2016 American presidential electionMore recently been used to create and encourage the storming of the US Government buildings in Washington DC.

The important 2018 book LikeWar by Peter W. Singer and Emerson Brooking tackles the mind bending questions that arise when war goes online and the online world goes to war.  Probing into the darker and hidden aspects of the internet, the book outlines a new way of understanding and defending against the unprecedented threats of our networked world, in which  ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift, Internet trolls shape elections in other countries and the governmnet of China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of 1.4 billion citizens. 

For a technology that’s designed to bring people closer together, spending too much time engaging with social media can actually make you feel more lonely and isolated.

World Economic Forum:   Wharton:      DefenseOne:      The Atlantic:    Oberlo:    HelpGuide:      Summit News

You Might Also Read: 

Social Media Has Gone Global:

 

« Airline Faces £800m Penalty For Customer Data Breach
Cyber Security Certifications - Online Exam »

ManageEngine
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

Resecurity

Resecurity

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

GlobalSign

GlobalSign

GlobalSign is an identity services company providing cloud-based, PKI solutions for enterprises needing to conduct safe commerce, communications, content delivery and community interactions.

Security Stronghold

Security Stronghold

Security Stronghold is focused on protecting computers from malicious programs like viruses, Trojans, spyware, adware, trackware, keyloggers and other kinds of online threats.

RoboForm

RoboForm

RoboForm's industry-leading encryption technology securely stores your passwords, with one Master Password serving as your encryption key.

iboss Network Security

iboss Network Security

The iboss cloud is designed to deliver Network Security as a Service, in the cloud, using the best malware engines, threat feeds and log analytics engines.

National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) - USA

National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) - USA

NCFTA is a trusted alliance of private industry and law enforcement partners dedicated to information sharing and disrupting cyber-related threats.

Open Information Security Foundation (OISF)

Open Information Security Foundation (OISF)

OISF is a non-profit organization led by world-class security experts, programmers, and others dedicated to open source security technologies.

Uniwan

Uniwan

Uniwan is an IT services company specializing in networking and security.

FileWave

FileWave

FileWave offers a single solution for managing apps, devices, and more for Mac, Windows, and mobile devices.

ACET Solutions

ACET Solutions

ACET Solutions delivers a wide range of Automation, Cyber Security and Enterprise IT/OT Integration Solutions to industrial clients.

Axur

Axur

Discover and eliminate digital fraud and risks on the web. Utilize Axur’s entire AI potential, along with thousands of bots dispersed throughout the surface web as well as the deep and dark web.

Obscure Technologies

Obscure Technologies

Obscure Technologies is a firm of experts, specialised in brokering the best security solutions to market.

Paperclip

Paperclip

Paperclip provides paperless solutions while enabling compliance and security for the exchange of critical content.

Aquia

Aquia

Aquia are on a mission to enable innovation and drive transformative change to solve the world’s most pressing and complex cybersecurity challenges.

Ingenics Digital

Ingenics Digital

Ingenics Digital is a recognized initiator and leading service provider in the areas of software development and embedded systems.

Razilio

Razilio

Razilio is a boutique cybersecurity consultancy located in Sydney, Australia and serving the world.

Adaptive Security

Adaptive Security

Adaptive is a next-generation cybersecurity platform. We're working with pioneering security teams to protect critical systems from AI-powered cyber attacks.