Research Paper on "Who Controls Social Media?"

Research Paper 13 pages (4011 words) Sources: 10 Style: Turabian

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Cho and Wilson (2008) show, on the other hand, that Korea (which supports the American war on terror), is more likely to report on terror events "when they (1) take place in Iraq, (2) use crueler modes of action, and (3) are related to Korean national interests, specially supporting the American Administration policy…which the Korean government has supported since its inception" (p. 89). What Cho and Wilson indicate is that the "war on terror" has a great propaganda benefit for nations seeking to shore up support for a foreign policy that is militaristic and imperialistic. Terrorist activity of states other than those which Korea and the West oppose goes unreported, because it does not promote the ideological aim of the nation-state to report on such. The thesis of Cho and Wilson is grounded in the arguments of Kearns, Conlon and Young (2014), which is essentially that social and mainstream media are tools that governments use to shape public opinion by creating an "us" vs. "them" paradigm. Their study goes deeper into the sub-issues regarding "terrorism" as a concept than any of the studies by Herzberg, Steinberg, Amble, Dean, Bell, etc.

Kearns, Conlon and Young (2014) illustrate how "over half of terrorist attacks are not credibly claimed" which leads them to assert that "there are four lies about terrorism" that are utilized by state media, including social media: "false claiming, false flag, the hot-potato problem, and the lie of omission" (p. 422). Each of these lies is used for strategic state purposes -- namely to construct the "us" vs. "them" paradigm which assists states in building public support for projects of foreign destabilization and imperialism.

Steuter and Wills (2009) support the study of Kearns, Conlon and Young (2014) when they provide empirical and qualitative analysis of "the way in which an image of the 'enemy' is constructed and framed in dominant media discourse" in Canadian media (p. 7). Their study suggests that Western states employ the very same terroristic activities via mainstream and social media that they condemn in "enemy" countries. Steuter and Wills argue that the ideological aim of Western states employed in the "war on terror" is mimic the policy of the 1984 Orwellian state, which declared that War is Peace. It is a particularly astute observation and one that looks more deeply into the role of social media in terrorism than the superficial studies performed by Herzberg and others.

III. Methodology & Research Strategy

For the purpose of this study, various media representations may serve as the Independent Variable and the reactions of the public (both passive observers and active journalists) the Dependent Variable. Grounded theory approach will attempt to show that the loud political and social outcry over the threat of "terror" is largely supported by media representations, which, in turn, are recycled and aired all over again, inciting more outcries and occasioning further evolution in the political, economic and social construct of risk. Grounded theory enables the research to focus on the rudimentary relationship between politics, social media and society and how that relationship determines the ways in which terror is defined.

The Experimental Method is used in order to manipulate the Independent Variable (IV) in order to observe how it affects the Dependent Variable (DV). For example, Grounded Theory may be applied, with media representations of the "risk of terror" representing the IV and subjects' responses representing the DV. One benefit of this method is that it allows for close, precise and controlled analysis of subject responses to social media representations of terrorism. Some of the weaknesses, however, may result from the fact that the sample of subjects can hardly be considered representative of the whole: for instance, one group may stem from University; another sample may be of stay-at-home mothers; religious affiliation would likely serve as a factor; in short, a multitude of sociological elements would have to be considered.

The purpose of this study is to identify the ways in which ordinary citizens judge the role of social media in terrorism. Based on the literature review, the findings of this study will serve to show how effective states are in using social media to construct an "us" vs. "them" paradigm regarding the war on terror.

There are of course ethical considerations that one must take into account. These involve the rights of subjects and what is done with the information gathered from them. Subjects and/or samples have a right to know that their information is being gathered and used for a study and so they have to be informed of this and must give their consent. The researcher will also make a promise to keep all informants anonymous so as to protect identities. This should favor the giving of information in a more helpful way. It is up to the researcher to also consider whether there will be any anticipated problem associated with the planned research.

Students and subjects in a random mall sampling should give their consent before participating in a study. The nature of the experiment should be explained to them so that they are not surprised or shocked by certain IV.

The tests are conducted one at a time or as a group if cameras are available to monitor each one. Reactions are gauged from both physical expressions (body language) and questionnaire. Questions range from "What is your perception of "terror" as social media defines it for you?" To "How are you influenced by social media and its reporting on terrorism?" The questions could be open-ended, but the lack of choices might lead to few questions being answered; so it could be helpful if subjects are given a group of answers from which to choose.

One anticipated problem is creating an experiment that would trigger responses from subjects, whether gathered from a University or a shopping mall. It would be presumed that subjects would already be familiar with most media representations of terror, thus positing major media outlets as true sources of terror communication, and terrorists like Bin Laden as true sources of terror. Therefore, such an experiment should also incorporate alternative media representations, which would include such post-9/11 theories of terror as those that analyze the role of the Mossad or the CIA or MI6 or lobbies like AIPAC or the various loose ends that relate directly to 9/11 and represent the 9/11 investigation as a white wash. Such representations of terror would be expected to provoke either negativity or positivity -- distrust in the subject or affirmation of facts.

If the experiment were conducted at University, a room would be needed in which the subjects could be tested and monitored. If subjects are gathered at a public place like a shopping mall (where the sample is somewhat wider and may include professionals, retirees and students), it would be helpful if a room or trailer were available on the premises. This may require the installation of a tent within the mall itself or perhaps outside in the parking lot.

IV. Findings & Analysis

The majority of the subjects in the study are expected to echo the ideology of the state, which is that terrorists are mainly "jihadists" seeking to destroy Western ideals of democracy, freedom, etc. It is anticipated that a few subjects sampled will appreciate the ways in which states control social media both to exaggerate the threat of terror and to draw out "would-be" terrorists from the floorboards of society. However, what this researcher expects to find is that most citizens are accepting of social media's reports on terror, without seeking outside, third party verification. They will, rather, accept as fact the unverified reports that they see on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, as accepting them is easier than doing one's own research into the subject.

This evidence will neither prove nor disprove the thesis of this paper, but when coupled with the arguments posed by various researchers surveyed in the literature review, the findings will provide support for the notion that states are effective in their control of the dissemination of information and misinformation via social media as it regards terrorism and the war on terror.

The findings should also indicate whether citizens are able to appreciate how state agencies will act as a "honeypot" to lure unsuspecting individuals into entrapment situations. It is expected that most subjects will view cases of entrapment as deserved, stating that the individual "drawn out" by agencies like the FBI deserve to be arrested since they clearly showed to have designs against the state. Some subjects may show hesitation in accepting the legitimacy of such actions by state agencies. When asked about their hesitation, it is likely that they will express concern regarding the justice of entrapment and the notion that states should "cultivate" home-grown terrorists in order to "prevent" terrorism -- when in actuality the exercise appears to be nothing more than a self-promoting stunt designed for mass media consumption.

Finally, the findings are expected to show… READ MORE

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