The Tools of Modern Warfare: Social Media, Digital Rhetoric, and WIFI

Warfare has evolved over time in accordance with advancements in various technologies. With each new technological development, armed conflict becomes more deadly, and allows those who possess superior battlefield technologies to inflict their will on those who do not yet have access to such technologies. Technological advancements changed the way wars are fought, and those who could access and master them, typically, became super powers that exerted their will on subordinate entities. In like manner, advancements in electronic communication technology changed the way groups fight wars with one another as much, or more than, advancements in weaponry. While some of these electronic technologies were slightly more accessible to weaker powers, those who created and mastered them first were still able to utilize them in order to defeat subordinate enemies. Until the introduction of the internet, many of these electronic technologies were expensive and hard to access. The internet, and with it the rise of social media and electronic messaging, leveled the playing field for weaker groups, and allowed them to more effectively wage war against a stronger military force. The broad goal of this research intended to determine how and why electronic platforms have aided non-traditional powers wage successful armed conflict against traditional powers. I examined multiple cases such as Arab Spring revolutions, terrorist organizations with a focus on the Islamic State (ISIS), and others to determine how digital platforms affected each, and to what extent. While each faction used different digital platforms for different reasons, they all used respective digital platforms in order to organize themselves or spread some sort of message