Consider the mediatisation of warfare. Does the rise of social media Essay

Consider the mediatisation of warfare. Does the rise of social media change the ability of western military to control perceptio - Essay Example The government resources and power was no match for the hordes of people which were notified through the social media about where and when to meet for rallies and demonstrations. The Egyptian civil war was known as the Facebook Revolution, largely in recognition for the huge role of Facebook and the social media on the turnout of the war in the favor of the majority of Facebook users. This is a phenomenon which would likely be repeated in the future. There have already been incidents when the media and the social media has had an impact on warfare, so much so that it has also affected the western ability to control the perceptions of contemporary conflicts. This essay shall discuss this point further, seeking to answer how the rise of social media change the ability of western military to control perceptions of contemporary conflicts. This essay shall argue that the rise of the social media has decreased the ability of the western military to control perceptions of contemporary confl icts, especially in relation to how these wars are fought, how necessary or unnecessary they may be, how long they are fought, and in what favor the wars should end. Initially, a general overview of the impact of the social media on warfare will be discussed. This shall include a discussion on key theories related to the subject matter. This shall be followed by a discussion of various incidents where the social media has impacted on warfare in different parts of the world. The latter part shall then relate the impact of the social media on how the western military has been able to control (or not control) the perceptions of contemporary conflicts. B. Body In considering the theories discussed during this course, the media determinism theory is likely the closest theory which would help explain the impact of the social media on warfare and the outcomes of warfare (Chandler, 1995). The theory discusses how the media seems to imply a direction in opinions and actions which is not with in the cultural or political influence. There is a belief in this case that the media has a strong governing impact on society. It impacts on how individuals think and how they relate with each other. It drives social progress and innovation. This theory declares that media impacts significantly on society and it can have a significant cause and effect relationship with society (Chandler, 1995). Media technologies, including the social media can bring about change in society. This theory is a simplistic assessment of complicated situations, with cause and effect relations decreased to their lowest premise, sometimes managed in those conditions. Innis and McLuhan have applied this theory as they declare how the media can shape a person’s and society’s self-perception as well as realization (Chandler, 1995). In general, this theory highlights the fact that the media can impact significantly on how society and technology can impact on the general population. In this case, the social media is an innovation of the media. It is a new aspect of media relations which is also having a similar impact on society and how they understand, perceive, and conceptualize information. In other words, the theory supports the notion that the social