Venture Views
- Around the technology world in 80 days: Day #1: London, UK
- Prompt’s virtual technology PR trek: Around the tech world in 80 days
- Prompt Boston attends Mass Innovation Night, #MIN51
- Technology PR recap: The software testing industry
- Prompt Boston hosts successful ‘Office Hours’ at Venture Café
- Read all about it! Are print newspapers fated to fold? (continued…)
- Extra, extra read all about it: Software testing and regional newspapers
- Remembering London’s colourful past
- Prompt Communications wins Equiso public relations account
- Prompt Communications appointed by Integralis to drive US media relations
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
US Army bans, promotes YouTube
US Army bans, promotes YouTube
If Vietnam was the world’s first media war, Iraq is our first social media war. But developments this week highlight the US Army’s deeply divided view of the suitability of social media platforms to communicate the conflict in Iraq.
On Monday, the US Department of Defense informed soldiers that they would no longer be able to access YouTube, MySpace or nine other social-networking sites from DoD computers. The Pentagon said the block was necessary in order to free up network bandwidth, but there is a widespread belief that the US military fears the loss of control that comes from allowing troops to publish their own words, videos and photographs online without supervision.
It’s not difficult to understand the army’s concerns – unmonitored blogging, social networking, and video and photo sharing can easily compromise military secrets, whether intentionally or not. Few people would have been surprised last month when the US Army ordered military personnel to stop posting to blogs, message boards and chat forums without clearing the content first with a superior officer.
But there is more at stake than military secrets. With the growing unpopularity of the Iraq war, the army is fighting to maintain its reputation as much as anything else. On this score, it sees social media platforms as a useful ally – as a means to portray the ‘reality’ of the conflict independently of mainstream media bias. So even as it bars troops from accessing YouTube, it continues to promote its own YouTube channel showing footage of military life in Iraq. And while some in the military believe that social network sites represent a threat to security, others are aware that banning online contact with friends and loved ones will further knock the morale of an already beleaguered army.
The sheer newness of social media means that for the US Army – as for many companies trying to get to grips with the new landscape – the relationship between risk and reward is still very unclear. Expect to see more deeply contradictory behaviour before the Iraq conflict draws to a close.
