Social Media: An Instrument of Public Diplomacy and a Weapon of Psychological Operations

Jakusné Harnos, Éva and Bányász, Péter (2025) Social Media: An Instrument of Public Diplomacy and a Weapon of Psychological Operations. In: Hybrid Warfare Reference Curriculum Volume III. Ludovika Egyetemi Kiadó, Budapest, pp. 207-220. ISBN 9789636531096

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Abstract

Social media provides opportunity for citizen participation in democratic deliberation because it allows an exchange of opinions and information without the intervention of editors and opinion leaders. Nevertheless, it can also be used as a weapon in psychological operations because it can hide the source of misleading information and merge into the online discourse without the target audience realising it. This chapter examines two major areas of impact of the social media. On the one hand, it can be an instrument of including citizens in a new form of public diplomacy called peer-to-peer diplomacy. The first part of the chapter summarises the role of modern media in shaping political opinion in a transparent way. In addition, it highlights the theoretical background to its impact, then introduces a case of the successful application of social media for promoting a country. In contrast to this, the second part of the chapter explains why and how social media becomes a weapon in psychological operations. It draws attention to the total surveillance and isolation which the social media technologically allows. It takes its examples from recent events: among others, from the Russia−Ukraine war.

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