Use of Social Media in Modern Warfare

A study conducted by We Are Social's Global Digital Report in 2019 discussed

that there are 76 million active Filipino social media users, which is about 71 percent
of the entire population, these people spend an average of four hours a day on
different social media platforms. Facebook, takes the lead as “the most visited social
media site” with around 75 million monthly active Filipino users which also means
that Facebook is the “go-to” social media site for Filipinos. 33 percent of active social
media users or around 21 million users in the Philippines are in the 18-24 age range
making them “the biggest group of social media users.” i These are “university to
early career age users” which means that “young” people are those who are mostly
on the internet - a very vulnerable group in terms of misconceptions due to exposure
to malicious facts curated by people whose sole purpose is to discredit the
government. Facebook is almost an exclusive theater through where these so-called
“activists” set their scenes to grab the attention of audiences and engage in
dialogues with the people they seek to influence. These numbers of social media
users are expected to grow exponentially over the years therefore making it a very
important part of the battleground. When we are able to take advantage of social
media by using it to distribute propaganda and counter-propaganda, deliver timely
and accurate information about the situation to the public, and in influencing the
support of the people towards the AFP, social media will be an invaluable tool in
shaping the battlefield in favor of the AFP in this "modern generation" warfare.
In this modern day tug-of-war inside our electronic devices, it is imperative that
we match cunning with cunning. This is where the distribution of propaganda and
counter-propaganda fits in. For some people, Facebook is the internet and therefore
has become the main platform set-up by malicious individuals almost like a stage for
their propaganda designed to seek and grab attention that would eventually lead to
dialogues that would spark influence. So, by utilizing social media by saturating it
with well-crafted information dissemination designed towards promoting government
programs, AFP interventions and its community involvements, as well as
propagating and expounding different enemy atrocities, and disproving the enemies'
false claims and disinformation, all of these efforts will eventually lead to lessening of
enemy supporters and their confidence towards their agenda that will further lead the
AFP and the government into winning the population's support and confidence.
Aside from distributing propaganda and counter-propaganda, another use of
social media will be to deliver accurate information about the situation on the ground
to the public. In times war, delivery of timely and accurate information towards the
public may mean their life or death. For some people, like those involved in disaster
relief, getting the correct information on time will save lives. The vast coverage of
social media will ensure that, if we exploit it, any information delivered through its
platforms by the government will be able to reach even the farthest of people.
As stated above, social media is an effective catalyst in discrediting the enemy’s
agenda and in delivering much needed information. Therefore, social media can be
used in influencing the support of the people towards the AFP. This would ultimately
lead to AFP being adored by the people not only in security but also in protecting the
interest of the general public. This will make us win not only the physical and military
side of war, but also the psychological and emotional side of it. This confidence
gained from the people will not only increase the people's trust towards the AFP, but
more importantly, towards the Filipino government as a whole.
In closing, utilizing this modern day tool: social media in distributing propaganda
and counter-propaganda, delivering timely and accurate information about the
situation to the public, and in influencing the support of the people towards the AFP,
we are able to attain our goal of shaping the battlefield in favor of the AFP. In this
sense, we are then able to prove that the very careful understanding and use of
social media is indeed an invaluable tool in this age of modern warfare.
i
Estares, I. (2019). 4 More Reasons Why Social Media in the Philippines is Huge. Retrieved from
https://www.d8aspring.com/eye-on-asia/4-more-reasons-why-social-media-in-the-philippines-is-huge