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LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media

LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media

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  • Create Date：2021-11-03 07:52:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：P.W. Singer
  • ISBN：0358108470
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Two defense experts explore the collision of war， politics， and social media， where the most important battles are now only a click away。

Through the weaponization of social media， the internet is changing war and politics， just as war and politics are changing the internet。 Terrorists livestream their attacks， “Twitter wars” produce real‑world casualties， and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles， but the very fate of nations。 The result is that war， tech， and politics have blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on our smartphones。

P。 W。 Singer and Emerson Brooking tackle the mind‑bending questions that arise when war goes online and the online world goes to war。 They explore how ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift， a former World of Warcraft addict foils war crimes thousands of miles away， internet trolls shape elections， and China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of 1。4 billion citizens。 What can be kept secret in a world of networks？ Does social media expose the truth or bury it？ And what role do ordinary people now play in international conflicts？

Delving into the web’s darkest corners， we meet the unexpected warriors of social media， such as the rapper turned jihadist PR czar and the Russian hipsters who wage unceasing infowars against the West。 Finally， looking to the crucial years ahead， LikeWar outlines a radical new paradigm for understanding and defending against the unprecedented threats of our networked world。 
 

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Reviews

Elizabeth ，

Truly fascinating account of the development and use of communication technology on war， privacy， and information。 Malinformation is nothing new， but the global reach achieved by the internet has dangerous implications。 Highly recommended。

Joe ，

We're doomed。 Social media， just like the interstate highway system， was a mistake。 American democracy had a good run。 We're doomed。 Social media， just like the interstate highway system， was a mistake。 American democracy had a good run。 。。。more

Roy ，

I highly recommend this book to everyone。 If you are reading this， you are on social media。 Whether you know it or not， you are a foot soldier。 This book will help you survive online。Do you still wonder how the "knucklehead" Trump won the 2016 election？ Read this book。Singer and Brooking's discussion of the psychological workings of the "unreality machine" is eye-opening。 A "share" is a missile in the information war。 Homophily keeps us in the "familiarity bubble。"Their analysis of the weapons i I highly recommend this book to everyone。 If you are reading this， you are on social media。 Whether you know it or not， you are a foot soldier。 This book will help you survive online。Do you still wonder how the "knucklehead" Trump won the 2016 election？ Read this book。Singer and Brooking's discussion of the psychological workings of the "unreality machine" is eye-opening。 A "share" is a missile in the information war。 Homophily keeps us in the "familiarity bubble。"Their analysis of the weapons in this information war （narrative， emotion， authenticity， community， and inundation） is spot-on。 The examples they use are jaw-dropping。 In addition， the book is extremely easy to read because it is so well-written。 Don't be fooled by its bulk: it is a 250 page read。 True to their word of learning to navigate "facts，" there are 100 pages of references。 In addition， it presents a short but accurate history of the internet。 It is not afraid to call out the new Silicon Valley moguls for their failure of citizenship。 Lastly， their warning about AI and MADCOMs should be heeded。 Read this book！ As they quote Stewart Brand: "We are as gods and might as well get used to it。" 。。。more

Glorianne ，

Fascinating， eye-opening， and terrifying all at once。This book will undoubtedly change how you view social media and the world。

Shaaf Matin ，

Very interesting。 Pros and cons。

Astrid ，

"I thought once everybody could speak freely and exchange information and ideas， the world [was] automatically going to be a better place，" confessed Twitter cofounder Evan Williams。 "I was wrong about that。" My use of social media， like everyone else， had increased in this pandemic time。 Overwhelmed by the contents in it， I tried to making sense of it all， hence my reading of this book。 I think "a bit history of how social media came to be from beginning till now" would also be a fitting title。 "I thought once everybody could speak freely and exchange information and ideas， the world [was] automatically going to be a better place，" confessed Twitter cofounder Evan Williams。 "I was wrong about that。" My use of social media， like everyone else， had increased in this pandemic time。 Overwhelmed by the contents in it， I tried to making sense of it all， hence my reading of this book。 I think "a bit history of how social media came to be from beginning till now" would also be a fitting title。 You'd expect to find informations how social media can be use as a weapon （in a military sense）， but you finished reading the book realizing that no， it's more than that。 As the subchapters in Chapter 7， there are "War in the Open"， "the War You Cannot See"， and "War between Everyone"。I'd totally recommend this book if you want to gain better understanding a tool that has become such a integral part of our lives。 。。。more

Max Sechena ，

Important read for everyone。 We need to understand the threat information warfare poses to western democracy and how social media algorithms change the character of war。

Lexy Crutchfield ，

Maybe 3。5-ish？ Honestly， this took me over a month to read。 It’s pretty dry / read like a textbook， but the information was fascinating & it was very well researched。 Highly recommend if you want a look at how social media has shaped politics， war， society & our day-to-day lives。

Melissa Colby ，

You should 100% read this book。 You should also take its own advice and read much of it skeptically。 It reveals a lot of problems with social media and the very real-world problems that come from the use of social media。 I'm not talking about kids seeing stuff they shouldn't; this is wars and people dying because of how social media is wielded。 This book was written in 2018 but it feels a lot like it was written by someone in 2021 and that person has a definite agenda。 The first few chapters are You should 100% read this book。 You should also take its own advice and read much of it skeptically。 It reveals a lot of problems with social media and the very real-world problems that come from the use of social media。 I'm not talking about kids seeing stuff they shouldn't; this is wars and people dying because of how social media is wielded。 This book was written in 2018 but it feels a lot like it was written by someone in 2021 and that person has a definite agenda。 The first few chapters are very bipartisan and informational， but as the book progresses you see that slip away。 Writing with a bias is okay， but this book does not portray that bias at the start。 While reading it， check the author's facts against his own conclusions- they don't always match up。 His solution at the end seems like the start of a lot of the problems he reveals in other countries' uses of social media。 Also， his solution was used in 2020 and we can see the results in 2021。 He has an ironic use of contagious viruses as a metaphor for a lot of what he discusses。 I guess that aged。。。well？ Unfortunately， humanity has been corrupted by sin and that is evident in the use of social media。 A fix is a world without sin and everything else is a bandaid on a bullet wound。 。。。more

Maxie ，

It was pretty good， very informative。 At times it was really not cohesive though which made it hard to follow。 There wasn't a super consistent theme， it was more of just a collection of anecdotes。 It was pretty good， very informative。 At times it was really not cohesive though which made it hard to follow。 There wasn't a super consistent theme， it was more of just a collection of anecdotes。 。。。more

Ann ，

This book does a great job providing an overview of recent events that demonstrate the role of social media in conflict through well-researched and written anecdotes。 It falls a bit short in terms of providing a “so what” or justifying its assertion that this development constitutes a revolutionary shift in warfare。

Dr。Husaim ，

"Війна лайків" - книга яку тяжко описати в звичному форматі， тож я обрав варіант коротких тез， що могли б стати твітами。 І які відображають теми， що найбільше зайшли мені з цієї книги。- #всіочінаІДІЛ або як маленька группа бойовиків захопила мільйонне місто Мосулу- вибори в США та армії ботів， якими вибухнули соц。мережі- MH-17 як незалежні експерти першими дізналися правду в той час як державні агенції розводили руками- онлайн армія позитиву і державні інтернет фільтри квітучого Китаю- ХАМАС гер "Війна лайків" - книга яку тяжко описати в звичному форматі， тож я обрав варіант коротких тез， що могли б стати твітами。 І які відображають теми， що найбільше зайшли мені з цієї книги。- #всіочінаІДІЛ або як маленька группа бойовиків захопила мільйонне місто Мосулу- вибори в США та армії ботів， якими вибухнули соц。мережі- MH-17 як незалежні експерти першими дізналися правду в той час як державні агенції розводили руками- онлайн армія позитиву і державні інтернет фільтри квітучого Китаю- ХАМАС герої-терористи та їх антиподи з Ізраїлю， війна на землі і в твіттері- кожен може стати твітер-журналістом сам не знаючи цього， коли вчасно зробить правильний твіт- мем про розіп'ятого хлопчика та злих бандерівців， або чим Москва прикривала свої спец。операції в УкраїніІ одна чудова цитата， замість p。s。"Ви те， що ви поширюєте。 А через свій вибір ви поширюєте те， ким ви є насправді。" 。。。more

Ryan ，

While some of the specific information is interesting and beneficial， the writers misuse certain facts and ignore others， while also stating as certainties things which are quite obviously subjective。 It's one thing to have a point of view; it's quite another to espouse yours as absolute。 Perhaps most annoyingly， in the second half of the book they frequently utilize well-known political narratives （the evidence for which has been shown to be false） and run with them as justification for action。 While some of the specific information is interesting and beneficial， the writers misuse certain facts and ignore others， while also stating as certainties things which are quite obviously subjective。 It's one thing to have a point of view; it's quite another to espouse yours as absolute。 Perhaps most annoyingly， in the second half of the book they frequently utilize well-known political narratives （the evidence for which has been shown to be false） and run with them as justification for action。 This was recommended to be by a friend and I was very much looking forward to it。 It was unfortunately a disappointment。 。。。more

sumo ，

I really learned a lot and enjoyed this read。 If you’ve watched the movie the Social Dilemma， this book has similar themes just with a lot more detail， insight and research。

T。J。 Beitelman ，

Nigh on required reading for the Social Media age。 In fact， some of the concepts （while chilling when wielded by politicians， terrorists， and the billionaires/corporations who fund them） are very useful for any sole proprietor， small business， or do-gooder organization who wants to find their people online。

Steve ，

An absolutely fantastic read about the effect the digital realm has on the physical one。 Hopefully， as time progresses， we all become more aware the dangers that befall from social media， just as much as any other social interaction。

Kalli ，

This should be mandatory reading for anyone with a social media account。 It shines a bright spotlight on how easy and widespread information manipulation is， and why we are pre-disposed to believe it。 We’ve only begun to understand the potential power behind social media， and this book points to the dangers of remaining ignorant。 This is the future of warfare。

Kevin ，

An interesting take on the impact that social media has on real world events。 And how different institutions （military operations， diplomacy， elections， etc） are now not only using these mediums， but also relying on them。 They have become a primary weapon， not just a nice-to-have， in order to win the hearts of the people and to garner support for a cause。 Took the long way to get to the points。 Had some tangents that I didn't find too interesting and were a bit too unrelated to the topic being d An interesting take on the impact that social media has on real world events。 And how different institutions （military operations， diplomacy， elections， etc） are now not only using these mediums， but also relying on them。 They have become a primary weapon， not just a nice-to-have， in order to win the hearts of the people and to garner support for a cause。 Took the long way to get to the points。 Had some tangents that I didn't find too interesting and were a bit too unrelated to the topic being discussed。 A bit meandering。 。。。more

Rebecca Schwarz ，

Fascinating look at how social media is impacting our brains！

William Reyor ，

Through this work Singer provides the reader with the historical context necessary to understand the risk inherent in the attention economy。 The book provides an example driven story line to explain to the reader how the combination of psycology， technology， machine learning， cheap labor， and social contagion are used in influence operations。

Mr。 Novak ，

An excellent and well thought out chronology of how social media rose to prominence。 From South Sudan Royalty to Urban warfare in American cities， Singer does a stellar job at explaining how what started off as a benevolent innovation has paved the way for how Geo-politics is fought in the 21st century。

nadine | abooknomad ，

I read this for a paper I wrote for one of my lectures， and it's one of those books everyone should read。The authors explain the mechanics of social media and how they enable the spread of misinformation in a simple and at times humoristic manner， with real-life examples and stories。 The authors don't limit themselves to descriptions， but they also show the real-life consequences that the weaponization of social media can have。I highly recommend it。 I read this for a paper I wrote for one of my lectures， and it's one of those books everyone should read。The authors explain the mechanics of social media and how they enable the spread of misinformation in a simple and at times humoristic manner， with real-life examples and stories。 The authors don't limit themselves to descriptions， but they also show the real-life consequences that the weaponization of social media can have。I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Andy B。 ，

Really good book。 If you believe you can just delete your social media accounts and it will stop playing a part in your life， think again。 Like War should convince a lot of people that social media is the new town square， church meeting， or assembly hall。 It is where people learn what’s going on in the world and form opinions。 I was on the verge of deleting my accounts and this book convinced me I shouldn’t。

Rick Howard ，

The authors call the book "LikeWar。" They cite RAND researchers from the early 1990s， John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt， who coined the term Netwar to describe the phenomena of people and groups that try to "damage， or modify what a target population 'knows' or thinks it knows about itself and the world around it。" In other words， this is Gaslighting in volume and at the speed of the internet。The authors say that， "We’re now seeing a new form of gaslighting， perpetrated repeatedly and successfull The authors call the book "LikeWar。" They cite RAND researchers from the early 1990s， John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt， who coined the term Netwar to describe the phenomena of people and groups that try to "damage， or modify what a target population 'knows' or thinks it knows about itself and the world around it。" In other words， this is Gaslighting in volume and at the speed of the internet。The authors say that， "We’re now seeing a new form of gaslighting， perpetrated repeatedly and successfully through social media on the global stage。" They quote Lauren Ducca， “Facts 。 。 。 become interchangeable with opinions， blinding us into arguing amongst ourselves， as our very reality is called into question。”Arquilla and Ronfeldt were writing in the context of a new kind of war that the incipient internet would usher into existence。 But Singer and Brooking describe a world that is much bigger than that。 It's not just a new tool that militaries and governments can use to bend the political message and shape localized conflicts （which they describe） but LikeWar-Netwar-Internet Gaslighting is at the heart of our current culture wars as well: cancel culture， conspiracy theories， tribalism， white extremism， white nationalism， and homophily。 It is a reality today and eerily reminiscent of the ideas put forth in Orwell's "1984:"Newspeak: The "official" party language that functions as a devise of extreme control。Blackwhite: To believe that black is white， to know that black is white， and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary。Doublethink: The power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously， and accept both of them。 And governments have been quick to get on the bandwagon。Russia: Formalized disinformation goals: dismiss， distort， distract， dismay， and divide。: After Russia invaded Ukraine （2014）， they denied they did it。: When Ukraine announced the creation of a volunteer “Internet army，” Russian propagandists propagandists turned it into a joke。 : When Germany launched the Center of Defense Against Disinformation， Russia ironically relabeled the effort as the “ministry of truth” from Orwell's "1984。" : When U。S。 claimed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election， Russia twisted it into an alleged plot by the “deep state。” China: Official military information policy: psychological warfare （manipulation of perception and beliefs）， legal warfare （manipulation of treaties and international law）， and public opinion warfare （manipulation of both Chinese and foreign populations）。: Chinese military strategy: “War is accelerating its evolution to informatization。”US: DARPA launched a Social Media in Strategic Communications program to study online sentiment analysis and manipulation。 : Operation Earnest Voice: Central Command's several-hundred-million-dollar program to fight jihadists across the Middle East by distorting Arabic social media conversations。 : State Department poured vast amounts of resources into CVE （Countering Violent Extremism Efforts） efforts， building an array of online organizations that sought to counter ISIS by launching information offensives of their own。Britain: 77th Brigade （1，500-soldiers） intended to be an “agent of change through targeted Information Activity and Outreach。” NATO:: launched its Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence， focused on “the weaponization of social media。” Israeli: Digital arm of the Israeli Defense Forces （IDF）Turkey:: Growing patriotic troll armyMexico: : The burgeoning botnets of the Mexican governmentI interviewed both Singer and Brooking as a joint project between the Cyberwire and the Cybersecurity Canon Project。 Singer said that he and Brooking discovered four rules of this internet gaslighting phenomena as they were doing the book research looking at everything from ISIS， to the ice bucket challenge， to Taylor swift， to Donald Trump。 1: The truth is out there。"You have now this incredible wealth of information that was of a scale not out there in the past。 Pretty much everything is seen， observed， talked about now， and that can be used for good or bad。" 2: The truth may be out there， but it can be buried underneath a sea of lies。 "And that's the essence of everything from Russian information warfare to how we've seen it hit our politics to even the discourse around the pandemic。3: Virality trumping veracity。 "The key aspect of information's power is not whether it's true or not。 It's how viral it goes。 How many people are reading it and seeing it。"4: Impact: New powers and new possibilities。"We are seeing new kinds of leaders emerging， new kinds of celebrities， and new kinds of terrorist groups， but there are also powers behind the throne。 Tech company executives determine the rules of the game。 Mark Zuckerberg decides whether a Russian information warfare operation is going to be allowed to hit a democracy or not。 They decide what is allowed to be set online about everything from an election， the corona virus， to a genocide in Myanmar that's going after 600，000 people。In terms of solutions， the authors point out that there is no silver bullet that will build resilience in all of us against this sort of internet gaslighting attack。 But there is a way forward。 They say that there's a role for government， the private sector and for the individual。For Governments: Take this new battleground seriously especially for democratic governments who are at a disadvantage。: Develop a “whole-of-nation” strategy like some successful nations already have: Finland， Estonia， Latvia， Lithuania， and Sweden。 "All of which face a steady barrage of Russian information attacks， backed by the close proximity of Russian soldiers and tanks。 Their inoculation efforts include citizen education programs， public tracking and notices of foreign disinformation campaigns， election protections and forced transparency of political campaign activities， and legal action to limit the effect of poisonous super-spreaders。": Develop national Information literacy programs:。 "This is no longer merely an education issue but a national security imperative。 When someone engages in the spread of lies， hate， and other societal poisons， they should be stigmatized accordingly。"For the Private Sector （Social Media Platform Companies）: "Accept more of the political and social responsibility that the success of its technology has thrust upon it。": Transparency about how they tackle these issues on their platforms。For the individual: "Act less like angry customers and more like concerned constituents。": Recognize that the intent of most online content is designed to subtly influence and manipulate。 In response， we should practice a technique called “lateral thinking。” Get out of your homophily induced thought bubbles。 "When in doubt， seek a second opinion—then a third， then a fourth。 If you’re not in doubt， then you’re likely part of the problem！": While protecting ourselves online， we all must protect others as well。 Don't spread information as a fact that you're not sure about。My one complaint about the book is a an old pet peeve of mine。 The author's use "war" for their label is hyperbole。 When researchers and news pundits want to highlight how serious some particular issue us， they elevate the talking point to a warfare level: The War on Drugs， the War on poverty， the culture wars， the War on Christmas， etc。 I understand the impulse but by doing so it places the subject in a military setting and thus invites all the metaphors of war。 The dictionary definition of war includes phrases like "physical hostilities between nation states" and "force of arms。" As hateful as cancel culture is， I don't think it rises to the warfare level。 There is no good solution for authors trying to elevate the subject material so that people will pay attention to it。 I have been using the phrase internet gaslighting in this review but even I realize that doesn't have the same punch as "LikeWar。" Also， I don't mean to imply that this internet gaslighting is not as serious as warfare。 It is。 It perhaps may be more impactful in destabilizing democracy than any future physical war。 But it's not warfare。 It might be a tool of warfare but it expands way past that into our daily lives。I'm grateful that Singer and Emerson tackled this subject。 It's so complex that even after I've read their book twice now， I'm just beginning to understand the implications。 Don't get me wrong。 The book is excellent at guiding the reader through the issues。But there are so many entangled ideas here， ideas that have been evolving since the world was young but then supercharged in the internet age， that it is tough to get a bead on them， tough to separate them， tough to understand what is actually going on let alone what to do about it。 Singer and Brooking provide a lighted path that the reader can use to see the issues and even offer some straightforward recommendations about what do about it。 The problem is that their solutions are not quick fixes and will require a sustained effort by individual nations to have an impact。 In a world where there is no consensus about basic facts， I fear there might never be any impetus to agree that there is even a problem let alone implement a sustained program designed to build resilience to this new age of gaslighting in our culture。 That is why it is imperative that security practitioners read this book， grok the concepts， and get behind some of these recommendations for governments， the private sector， and for the individual。 Our community， this cybersecurity practitioner group， may be in a small subset of groups that are in a unique position; capable of discussing the issues dispassionately and getting behind whatever movements emerge in the future。 That is why this book belongs in the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame。 。。。more

David Rice ，

A little dated already

Syed Saqib Mumtaz Hashmi ，

Social Media is changing society in unthinkable ways。 Harnessing power of Social Media Trump became President of United Status while same is being used by Terrorists to recruit followers and spread their message across the globe。 Understanding dynamics of social media is very important for everyone。

Globug ，

“Don't touch that dail！！" Oh， don't worry， there's no dial。 Your curated confirmation bias is at your fingertips and in your pocket。 This book illuminates the reality behind the scrim of your screen。 To put it simply， we're all suckers。 The more I learn， the more I realize how hopeless we are without REAL truth。 Here's a hint。。。 it's not on social media。 The rapid explosion of the information （and disinformation） age has played out better （or worse） than any SCI-FI author， sociologist， or tech i “Don't touch that dail！！" Oh， don't worry， there's no dial。 Your curated confirmation bias is at your fingertips and in your pocket。 This book illuminates the reality behind the scrim of your screen。 To put it simply， we're all suckers。 The more I learn， the more I realize how hopeless we are without REAL truth。 Here's a hint。。。 it's not on social media。 The rapid explosion of the information （and disinformation） age has played out better （or worse） than any SCI-FI author， sociologist， or tech innovator ever could have predicted。 If you read this book， you’ll be uncomfortable， but keep reading。 The final chapter does hold out hope。 。。。more

Roger ，

The book lays out the case that social media companies lost track of their platforms and allowed any internet savvy person， terrorist， or government to manipulate if not create fake news。 Although with Artificial Intelligence， we have a chance to get ahead of this manipulation， it still is incumbent on the social media platforms to reduce false and dangerous content - ultimately the consumer has to become better at fact checking themselves as well。 While the book ends with a sliver of hope， it s The book lays out the case that social media companies lost track of their platforms and allowed any internet savvy person， terrorist， or government to manipulate if not create fake news。 Although with Artificial Intelligence， we have a chance to get ahead of this manipulation， it still is incumbent on the social media platforms to reduce false and dangerous content - ultimately the consumer has to become better at fact checking themselves as well。 While the book ends with a sliver of hope， it seems more likely that social media may become more destructive of democracy in the future。 A well researched and written book， it had a very pessimistic tone。 。。。more

Andrew Zhang ，

I believe that we are at a crossroads in society across several issues， and the weaponization of social media is at the forefront of this crossroads for the reasons illustrated in this book。 As much as we all enjoy being on social media constantly， the unintended consequences of social media have reared its ugly head too often。 If we do not put forth effort into improving the atmosphere of online communities and teaching kids the importance of information literacy at a young age， the current sit I believe that we are at a crossroads in society across several issues， and the weaponization of social media is at the forefront of this crossroads for the reasons illustrated in this book。 As much as we all enjoy being on social media constantly， the unintended consequences of social media have reared its ugly head too often。 If we do not put forth effort into improving the atmosphere of online communities and teaching kids the importance of information literacy at a young age， the current situation we are in will only worsen。 。。。more

Daniel Mitchell ，

lies and likes。。。 great turn of phrase

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0