The rising impact of social media

The recent Israel-Palestine conflict has highlighted the importance of new media in a war. On Nov 14, Israeli defense forces launched "Operation Pillar of Defense" both on the traditional and virtual battlefields, with the Palestinians fighting back on both fronts. It is thus more than evident that social media have become the second front in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Warfare in the information age has changed dramatically. Traditionally, media campaigns have served only as a supplementary tool in a war. But today, the media play a crucial role in influencing world opinion and winning support.

To win wars in the information age, the United States has explored and exploited all possible options. In the Iraq War, the US army used an "embedded" information control strategy, allowing more than 600 journalists from around the world to cover news along with the combat troops. In fact, "embedded coverage" is a well-designed media experiment for using the media to give the world the US military version of a war.