Social Media and International Relations

This chapter uses some key themes from the previous section on political communication and extends into the international arena, focussing on the use of social media as a means of engaging in conflict, and as a vehicle for fostering amity between nations. The section on conflict outlines the recent history of known interference campaigns by foreign nations, including case studies in the US, UK, Hollands, Ukraine, Estonia, and Taiwan, and how these are similar to and different from earlier examples of information warfare, propaganda, and psychological warfare. It discusses the tactics and strategies employed by those who use this type of malicious interference, and how they seek to remain in the ‘grey zone’ or ‘littoral zone’ below the level of outright conflict.