Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T02:21:13.733Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - The Effects of Technological Evolution and Social Media on the Individual, Society and Politics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2023

Iulian Chifu  and
Greg Simons
By
Iulian Chifu
Iulian Chifu
Affiliation:
National Defence University, Bucharest
Greg Simons
Affiliation:
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
Get access

Summary

The technological evolution currently being experienced globally, comes with a tremendous number of different advanatages. However, there are also new threats and vulnerabilities that are being exposed that can adversely affect national security. This is evident in the social media environment. Therefore, the current research needs to focus on understanding the balance between pros and cons in a pragmatic way to understand the actual and potential impacts (physical and psychological) on society.

Keywords

societytechnologypoliticssocial mediathreatsevolutionnational security
Type
Chapter
Information
Rethinking Warfare in the 21st Century
The Influence and Effects of the Politics, Information and Communication Mix
 , pp. 184 - 218
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aday, S., Farrell, H., Lynch, M., Sides, J. & Deen, F. (2012), Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict After the Arab Spring, Peaceworks: United States Institute for Peace.Google Scholar
Appadurai, A., Porta, D. della, Fraser, N. & Geiselberger, H. (coord.) (2016), Marea Regresie: De ce trăim un moment istoric, Bucharest: Art Bucharest.Google Scholar
Aslanidis, P. & Marantzidis, N. (2016), The Impact of the Greek Indignados on Greek Politics, Southeastern Europe, 40(2), pp. 125–157.Google Scholar
Beauchamp, Z. (22 January 2019), Social Media Is Rotting Democracy from Within, Vox, www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/22/18177076/social-media-facebook-far-right-authoritarian-populism.Google Scholar
Braunstein, F. & Pepin, J. F. (1997), Marile Doctrine. Politice. Economice, Filosofice, Bucharest: Antet.Google Scholar
Buterin, V. (13–15 September 2018), Will Blockchain Change the World?, at 15th Yalta European Strategy, Annual Meeting, Kiev, “The Next Generation of Everything”, available at https://yes-ukraine.org/en/photo-and-video/video/15-a-shchorichna-zustrich-yes/chi-zminit-blokcheyn-svit.Google Scholar
Buzan, B. (2014), Popoarele, Statele și Frica, Chișinău: Cartier.Google Scholar
Buzan, B. (2012), Popoarele, Statele și Teama, Chișinău: Cartier.Google Scholar
Calder, S. (11 September 2019), Heathrow Drone Protest: When Are Climate Change Activists Going to Shut Down Airport and Why?, Independent, at www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/heathrow-drone-protest-pause-climate-change-airport-extinction-rebellion-nats-a9101346.html.Google Scholar
Castells, M. (2012), Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2020a), Non-Conventional Threats and the New Types of Conflicts of Hybrid Nature in the 21st Century, Conferința Securitatea și Apărarea între istorie, teorie și politici publice, 6–7 November, to be published in the Magazine of the National Defense Staff, Gândirea Militară.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2020b), The Fourth Generation of Informational Warfare, Romanian Intelligence Studies Review (Revista Română de Studii de Intelligence - RRSI), RRSI nr.22/2019, Bucharest, pp. 67–105.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2019a), Technology and Democracy. The Impact of the Evolution of Security and International Relations, in proceedings, 15th International Scientific Conference “Strategies XXI” Strategic Changes and International Relations, 11–12 April, Bucharest, National Defence University, pp. 11–23.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2019b), Intelligence and Crisis Decision-making: A Bridge Too Far? in IAFIE – EUROPE 2019, “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Bucharest, 14–17 April, to be published, in proceedings.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2018a), Războiul hibrid și reziliența societală. Planificarea apărării hibride, Infosfera Magazine, February, pp. 23–30.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2018b), Cum alterăm realitatea în războiul informațional: Post-adevăr, post-factual, post-umanitate, Infosfera Magazine, December.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (September 2017), Trei generații de război informațional. Nivelul dezvoltării domeniului în partea sa publică, Infosfera Magazine.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2016a), “Informational warfare, from STRATCOM to Psyops”, Iași: Working Papers of the “World LUMEN Congress Logos Universality Mentality Education Novelty”, 12–17 April, International conference, Lumen Media Publishing UK, 2016, (ISI Thomson), pp. 132–133.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2016b), Războiul informaţional: componentă a războiului hibrid şi instrument de acţiune agresivă cu relevanţă strategică, Infosfera, no. 3.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2015), Război hibrid, lawfare, război informaţional. Războaiele viitorului, in Universitatea Naţională de Apărare, Strategii XXI. Complexitatea şi dinamismul mediului internaţional de securitate, Publishing House of UNAp “Carol I”, pp. 200–209.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2014), Perspectives on Ukraine Crisis. Scenarios for a Mid–Long- term Evolution, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. (2013), Gândire Strategică, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Bălășoiu, N. (2018), Prospective Studies of the Wider Black Sea Region. Scenarios For Its Future in Times of High International Turbulence, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Ivan, C. (2013), Rolul democrației participative, al meta-narațiunilor și autorului colectiv în secolul XXI. Mesaj din viitor, Bucharest: Romanian Intelligence Studies Magazine, RRSI no.10/December, pp. 221–239.Google Scholar
Chifu, I., Nantoi, O. & Getmanchuk, A. (2015), Prospective on Ukraine Crisis. A Trilateral Approach, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Nantoi, O. (2016b), Information Warfare. The Pattern of Aggression, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Nantoi, O. (2016a), Război informațional: tipizarea agresiunii informaționale a Federației Ruse, Bucharest: Publishing House of the Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations “Ion I. C. Brătianu” of the Romanian Academy, p. 1.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Savu, L. (2020), The Impact of Technology on Human Beings, Society and Politics, Bucharest: Romanian Institute for Political Science and International Relations of the Romanian Academy.Google Scholar
Chifu, I. & Țuțuianu, S. (2017), Torn Between East and West: Europe’s Border States, London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Dans, E. (3 December 2018), Did Social Networks Cause Populism?, Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2018/12/03/social-networks-and-populism-cause-and-effect/#19a17d475276.Google Scholar
Darrell, M. W. & John, R. A. (24 April 2018), How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the World, Brookings, at www.brookings.edu/research/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-world/.Google Scholar
David, M., Artificial Intelligence and Deep Fake, available at https://yes-ukraine.org/en/photo-and-video/video/15-a-shchorichna-zustrich-yes/shtuchniy-intelekt-ta-deep-fake.Google Scholar
Daws, R. (31 May 2019), Putin Outlines Russia’s National AI Strategy Priorities, available at https://artificialintelligence-news.com/2019/05/31/putin-russia-national-ai-strategy-priorities/.Google Scholar
Diani, M. & Kousis, M. (2014), The Duality of Claims and Events: The Greek Campaign Against the Troika’s Memoranda and Austerity, 2010–2012, Mobilization, An International Journal, 19(4), pp. 387–404.Google Scholar
Emmott, B. (2018), The Fate of the West. The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea, London: Profile Books Ltd.Google Scholar
Engesser, S., Ernst, N., Esser, F. & Büchel, F. (2017), Populism and Social Media: How Politicians Spread a Fragmented Ideology, Information, Communication & Society, 20(8), pp. 1109–1126. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1207697.Google Scholar
Ferguson, N. (13–15 September 2018), The Next Generation of Everything. A Historian’s View, at 15th Yalta European Strategy, Annual Meeting, Kiev, “The Next Generation of Everything”, available at https://yes-ukraine.org/en/photo-and-video/video/15-a-shchorichna-zustrich-yes/maybutnye-pokolinnya-vsogo-poglyadi-istorika-ta-investora.Google Scholar
Fukuyama, F. (2018), Identity. Contemporary Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition, London: Profile books Ltd.Google Scholar
Gavriluță, N. (2018), Noile religii seculare. Corectitudinea politică, tehnologiile viitorului și trans-umanismul, Iași: Polirom.Google Scholar
Gerbaudo, P. (2012), Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism, London: Pluto Press.Google Scholar
Global Trends 2030. Alternative Worlds. A publication of the National Intelligence Council (December 2012), available at https://globaltrends2030.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/global-trends-2030-november2012.pdf.Google Scholar
Gulf of Oman Tanker Attacks: What We Know (2019a), BBC News, 18 June, available at www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48627014.Google Scholar
Gurri, M. (2018), The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium, Stripe Press, Stripe Matter Inc.Google Scholar
Harari, Y. N. (12–14 September 2019), New Challenges of the 21st Century, 16th YES Annual Meeting “Happiness Now. New Approaches for a World in Crisis”, at www.YouTube.com/watch?v=WA4t9uK2ZX8, 5.26.00–6.20.00.Google Scholar
Harari, Y. N. (2018a), 21 de lecții pentru secolul XXI, Iași: Polirom.Google Scholar
Harari, Y. N. (2018b), Homo Deus. Scurtă istorie a viitorului, Iași: Polirom.Google Scholar
Howard, P. & Muzammil, M. H. (July 2011), The Role of Digital Media, Journal of Democracy.Google Scholar
Ishinger, W. (2019), Lumea în Pericol. Germania și Europa în vremuri nesigure, Bucharest: Curtea Veche.Google Scholar
Kagan, R. (2018), The Jungle Grows Back. America and Our Imperilled World, New York: Alfred A. Knopf.Google Scholar
Khamis, S. & Vaughn, K. (2011), Cyberactivism in the Egyptian Revolution: How Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism Tilted the Balance, Arab Media and Society, 14(3), 1–25.Google Scholar
Kirchick, J. (2018), Sfârșitul Europei. Dictatori, demagogi și Noul Ev Întunecat, Iași: Polirom.Google Scholar
Lamy, P., Gnesotto, N. & Baer, J. M. (2017), Încotro se îndreaptă lumea?, Bucharest: Niculescu.Google Scholar
Langman, L. (2013), Occupy: A New Social Movement, Current Sociology, 64(4), pp. 510–524.Google Scholar
LeBlanc, P., Atwood, K., Diamond, J. & Westwood, S. (16 September 2019), Trump: US ‘locked and loaded depending on verification’ of attack on Saudi oil field, CNN, available at https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/15/politics/trump-us-saudi-arabia-attack-iran-iraq/index.html.Google Scholar
Levitsky, S. & Ziblatt, D. (2019), How Democracies Die, New York: Broadway Books.Google Scholar
Levy, B. H. (13–15 September 2018), Who Killed Ms. Truth?, at 15th Yalta European Strategy, Annual Meeting, Kiev, “The Next Generation of Everything”, available at https://yes-ukraine.org/en/photo-and-video/video/15-a-shchorichna-zustrich-yes/hto-vbiv-mis-istinu.Google Scholar
Lim, M. (2021), Clicks, Cabs, and Coffee Houses: Social Media and Oppositional Movements in Egypt, 2004–2011, Journal of Communication, 62(2), April, pp. 231–248, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01628.x.Google Scholar
List of drone strikes in Yemen, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drone_strikes_in_Yemen#cite_note-Addicott-11.Google Scholar
Maldonado, M. A. (20–22 September 2017), Rethinking Populism in the Digital Age: Social Networks, Political Affects and Post-Truth Democracies, XIII AECPA Congress, Santiago de Compostela, GT 1.8 The Contemporary Public Sphere – Protest Movements and Populist Actors, available at https://riuma.uma.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10630/14500/Rethinking%20Populism%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%20-Manuel%20Arias%20Maldonado%2C%20GT%201.8%2C%20XIII%20Congreso%20Aecpa.pdf?sequence=1.Google Scholar
Mason, P. (2013), Why It’s Still Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolution (Revised and updated second edition), London: Verso Books.Google Scholar
Mavrommatis, G. (2015), Hannah Arendt in the Streets of Athens, Current Sociology, 63(3), pp. 432–449.Google Scholar
Merlyna, L. (2012), Clicks, Cabs, and Coffee Houses: Social Media and Oppositional Movements in Egypt, 2004–2011, Journal of Communication, 62(2), pp. 231–248, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01628.x.Google Scholar
Michie, S., Thomas, J., Johnston, M., Aonghusa, P. M., Shawe-Taylor, J., Kelly, M. P., Deleris, L. A., Finnerty, A. N., Marques, M. M., Norris, E., O’Mara-Eves, A. & West, R. (18 October 2017), The Human Behaviour-Change Project: harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning for evidence synthesis and interpretation, available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5648456/.Google Scholar
Muller, J. W. (2017), Ce este populismul, Iași: Polirom.Google Scholar
NATO Strategic Concept Rome, Article 24, in “The Alliance’s New Strategic Concept agreed by the Heads of State and Government participating in the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council” (7 November 1991), available at www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_23847.htm.Google Scholar
NATO Welcomes Opening of European Centre for Countering Hybrid Threats (11 April 2017), available at www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_143143.htm.Google Scholar
NATO’s New Division: A Serious Look at ‘Emerging Security Challenges’ or an Attempt at Shoring Up Relevance and Credibility? (September 2010), ISIS Europe Briefing Note, No. 51, available at www.natowatch.org/sites/default/files/NATOs_New_Division_0.pdf.Google Scholar
Niezsche, F., On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense, available at www.kth.se/social/files/5804ca7ff276547f5c83a592/On%20truth%20and%20lie%20in%20an%20extra-moral%20sense.pdf.Google Scholar
Patapievici, H. R., Liiceanu, G., Kagan, R., Ferguson, N., Gavriluță, N. (2018), Noile religii seculare. Corectitudinea politică, tehnologiile viitorului și trans-umanismul, Iași: Editura Polirom, ISBN 978-973-46-7203-5, p. 221.Google Scholar
Pehe, J. (2007). Populism in the Age of Mediocracy and Mediacracy. Populism in Central Europe, available at www.pehe.cz/Members/redaktor/populism-in-the-age-of-mediocracy-and-mediacracy.Google Scholar
Press statements by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini (1–2 December 2015), available at www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_125361.htm.Google Scholar
Raf, S. (13 June 2019), US Blames Iran for Oil Tanker Attack in Gulf of Oman Amid Rising Tensions, available at www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/13/oil-tankers-hit-fresh-attack-gulf-oman/.Google Scholar
Ramkumar, A. & Wallace, W. (16 September 2019), Crude Prices Soar After Attack on Saudi Facilities, Threatening Global Growth, The Wall Street Journal, available at www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-soar-after-saudi-attack-11568585160.Google Scholar
Rice, C. & Zegart, A. (2018), Political Risk. Facing the Threat of Global Insecurity in the Twenty First Century, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.Google Scholar
Richards, S. (2017), The Rise of the Outsiders. How Mainstream Politics Lost Its Way, London: Atlantic Books.Google Scholar
Romaniuk, S. N. (2018), Copenhagen School in Arrigo, B. A. (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopaedia of Surveillance, Security, and Privacy, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
Rosling, H. (2018), Factfulness. Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, London: Sceptre Publishing.Google Scholar
Sahar, K. & Vaughn, K. (Summer 2011), Cyberactivism in the Egyptian Revolution: How Civic Engagement and Citizen Journalism, Arab Media and Society.Google Scholar
Saudi Oil Attacks: US Says Intelligence Shows Iran Involved (2019b), BBC News, 16 September, available at www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49712417.Google Scholar
Simiti, M., Rage and Protest: The Case of the Greek Indignant Movement, Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe, GreeSE paper no. 82, available at eprints.lse.ac.uk/56229/.Google Scholar
Simons, G. & Chifu, I. (2017), The Changing Face of Warfare in the 21st Century, London and New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, E. (2003), Crisis Decision Making. A Cognitive Institutional Approach, Stockholm: Swedish National Defence College, Elanders Gotab.Google Scholar
TASS Russian News Agency (25 October, 2018), Drone Attack on Russia’s Syrian Airbase Was Elaborate Pentagon Operation, Says Expert, available at https://tass.com/defense/1027834.Google Scholar
Taylor, J., Gatwick Drone Attack Theories – Who Is Behind the Airport Sabotage?, The Mirror, available at www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gatwick-airport-drone-attack-theories-13771643.Google Scholar
Tejerina, B., Perugorría, I., Benski, T. & Langman, L. (2013), From Indignation to Occupation: A New Wave of Global Mobilization, Current Sociology, 61(4), pp. 377–392, available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392113479738.Google Scholar
West, D. M., & Allen, J. R. (2018). How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the World. Report, April, 24, 2018.Google Scholar
Wright, N. (Ed.) ( January 2019), AI, China, Russia, and the Global Order: Technological, Political, Global, and Creative Perspectives, available at https://nsiteam.com/ai-china-russia-and-the-global-order-technological-political-global-and-creative-perspectives/.Google Scholar
Yan, S. (11 September 2019), China Sells Armed Drones to Serbia Amid Concerns Arms Deal Could Destabilise Region, The Telegraph, available at www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/11/china-sells-armed-drones-serbia-amid-concerns-arms-deal-could/.Google Scholar
Young, S. & Holton, K. (20 December 2018), Drones Paralyze British Airport, Grounding Christmas Travellers, Reuters, available at www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-drones-gatwick/drones-paralyze-british-airport-grounding-christmas-travelers-idUSKCN1OI2TN.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×