TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MALICIOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MALICIOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Author(s): Jakob Willemo
Contributor(s): Sebastian Bay (Editor), Monika Izandra Hanley (Editor), Rueban Manokara (Editor), Baris Kirdemir (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Economy, Media studies, Political Theory, Communication studies, Sociology, Politics and communication, Theory of Communication, Crowd Psychology: Mass phenomena and political interactions, Social Informatics, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Published by: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
Keywords: Social media; malicious use of social media; manipulation of social media platforms; public opinion; influence; media space;
Summary/Abstract: The malicious use of social media is a widespread phenomenon, targeting individuals, public opinion, and in some cases even the functioning of the state. In recent years, social media platforms have been abused by foreign governments, private companies, and individuals to influence the outcomes of democratic elections and to undermine public trust in the societies in which we live. Today, social media platforms are manipulated by malign actors in order to pursue their political and military goals. In other words, social media platforms have developed into an effective tool for waging information warfare. Although information warfare is nothing new, social media platforms offer a cheaper, more efficient, and less demanding stage for influencing larger numbers of people than ever before. While the social media platforms are conduits facilitating the free passage of information, the companies that own them are active participants wielding significant influence over what takes place in the social media space and, increasingly, over how we communicate, interact, and socialise in the 21st century.

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