YouTube Wars: In and Out of Control
ABSTRACT
Communication technology has altered the ways states and people communicate in peace and war. This article uses Manuel Castells’ theory of communication power to analyse the nature of control in social media communication. Particular focus lies on studying how virtual and physical violence are created and controlled in a communication environment that includes mass self-communication alongside traditional media. The article concludes with a discussion on how a new era of decentralized control has begun with the introduction of social media, highlighting how large non-state actors, empowered by popularity, may come to play a significant role in future conflicts.
AUTHORS
Finnish National Defence University
Helsinki, Finland
Dr. Jari Rantapelkonen, (LTC, retired) is a professor emeritus at the Finnish National Defence University, Helsinki, Finland. His expertise areas include operational art and tactics, military leadership, information warfare, and the philosophy of war. He has served in Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Middle East. He is a mayor at the Enontekiö county, Finland in the Arctic area.
Swedish Defence University
Stockholm, Sweden
Margarita Levin Jaitner is a researcher in the area of information warfare and cyberspace—with a particular focus on Russian operations— at the Swedish Defence University, Stockholm, Sweden. She is also a Fellow at the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center. She has previously conducted research at the Finnish National Defence University as well as at the Yuval Ne’eman Workshop for Security, Science and Technology in Tel Aviv. She earned a master’s degree in Societal Risk Management, and a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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