Daily Times

A revolution in information technology has also revolutionized the important global phenomenon including warfare. With the advancement of information technology, we witness popularity in the use of social media. In recent years, social media has emerged as an important institution in conjunction with government, military etcetera and the role it plays in international politics cannot be ignored. With the emergence of social media as an important institute, the nature of warfare has also undergone a transition. It is not something confined to the battlefield, but it has widened its scope that encompasses a war at a psychological level that is; war of narratives. The following paragraphs discuss the changing nature of warfare and the role of social media in causing the war of narratives.

The warfare has observed a shift from its existence on the battlefield to a psychological level. According to Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, the primary human drives include appetite, spirit, and reason. Along with these fundamental drives, there is a fourth drive that shapes most of the human behaviors and that is fear. On the basis of these fundamental human drives, we have three schools of thought the Hobbesian, Lockean and Kantian. The Hobbesian school of thought is based on the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and considers fear as the primary human drive. Hobbesian school of thought stresses on anarchical international order based on the very premise that it is the fear of the Other that compels an individual to protect his Self. Thus, Hobbesian culture enforces the social constructs of the Self and the Other. Lockean culture, given by John Locke, on the other hand, is based on the drive of appetite and it foregrounds the possibility of competition between international parties. This competition pushes the parties to warfare. However, the Kantian culture believes in reason and stresses on the mutual relationship between nations based on peace. The horrid experiences of the two world wars compelled the world to give up Hobbesian and Lockean culture and move to a Kantian culture of international peace. The development of the United Nations is also a manifestation of this shift.

Unfortunately, the fundamental drive of fear and appetite continues to exist in the contemporary world as well. The Kantian system diminishes the traditional wars on the battlefield but the fundamental drive of appetite and fear make it impossible for the Kantian culture to enforce its anti-war agenda. So, the Hobbesian, Lockean and Kantian culture unite together to introduce a new form of war that is; war of narratives that occurs at a psychological level instead of happening in battlefields.

Social media is playing a pivotal role in bringing about the war of narratives. David Patrikarakos in his book War in 140 characters mentions the role of social media in reshaping the conflict in the twenty-first century. According to him, social media is an important institute and “social media has transformed the way that wars are waged, covered, and consumed.” (Patrikarakos 1). He argues that modern warfare is the war of narratives and social media is the battlefield. The main difference between the traditional warfare and the modern war of narratives is that the battlefield in the traditional warfare was accessible only to the militants and the war was fought between the armies of the two states. However, the battlefield of the war of narratives (social media) is accessible to nearly everyone and this war is not confined to the militants. The accessibility of social media to a large number of audience has made the war of narratives more popular, enhanced and prolonged. The virtual bullets are shot in the form of a certain narrative and are made to hit its target through social media. Thus, social media has changed the nature of warfare and has introduced the war of narratives.

Social media has played a pivotal role in propagating different propagandas and giving rise to the war of narratives. The role of social media in manipulating the 2016 US elections is not hidden from anyone. An Islamophobic leader was purposely made popular on social media through fake accounts and tweets. Likewise, the recent incident in Christchurch also reflects the pivotal role of social media in bringing about a war of narratives. Although the incident involves the use of physical techniques of warfare, yet the live coverage of the incident on Facebook makes it deadlier and bloodier. Similarly, the “#MeToo movement” was initially an attempt to provide women a platform where they can freely speak about the harassment they had been facing for long. Unfortunately, this movement is used as a tool to manifest one’s own agendas, promote sexism and to inflict a war of narratives against the opposite sex.

Terrorist organizations also use social media as a platform to proliferate their ideologies and networks. The changing trends of warfare are also adopted by the terrorist organizations and they are shifting from their traditional terrorist methodologies to the modern war of narratives. The development of applications like “The Dawn of Glad Tidings” or “Nasher” by ISIS in order to communicate between its members uncloak the significant role of social media behind modern warfare. They also used Twitter to spread their ideologies and get massive recruitments. Moreover, social media being accessible to all is a threat to the authenticity of the news. ISIS strategically spread the videos of the execution of local people on social media to target the morale of the local people and achieve their own agenda.

Thus, the advancement in social media and its popularity has changed the nature of warfare. The traditional style of warfare is discarded and now the wars are fought at the platform of social media where virtual bullets of narratives are shot. The accessibility of social media to all has made the involvement of a wide population making the war of narratives more popular and effective. Thus, social media plays an important role in causing the war of narratives.

The writer is currently pursuing a bachelors’ degree with English as a major from International Islamic University Islamabad. She can be reached at Fatymahishtiaq@gmail.com