Hollywood celebrities aren’t the only ones whose tweets go viral these days. Some military leaders are taking to social media just as other government leaders and agencies are.  The Central Intelligence Agency, for example, made headlines in June with its first tweet: “We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.” It was shared more than 50,000 times in its first hour. 

For many Muslim women around the world, the hijab — the scarf covering their hair — is not just a religious accouterment but also a symbol of their identity.  Young Muslim women are posting pictures of themselves in their hijabs on Instagram, inspiring large followings and placing more emphasis on the traditional headpiece as a fashion statement.

As U.S. airstrikes pound Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant-held positions in Iraq, Americans and supporters of the radical group have begun trading threats on social media.  Under the hashtag #AmessagefromISIStoUS on microblogging site Twitter, ISIS fans shared photos of dead U.S. army soldiers, and the burning twin towers of 9/11.

One photographer's global travels recently captured a glimmer of hope within an otherwise bleak landscape in Iraq.  Brandon Stanton, known for his successful blog and best-selling book, "Humans of New York," partnered with the United Nations to venture on a 50-day tour of 10 countries and expand his storytelling series worldwide.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is turning to social media in an effort to engage in online diplomacy, practice “open policy development” and improve international trade ties. The government is also looking to Twitter and other social media to retool what it acknowledges has been a “closed” diplomacy and policy model that “emphasized control over information and access,” show newly released federal documents.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State, formerly known by the acronym ISIS, is actively recruiting Western women and girls. And in the process this “caliphate” that now occupies large swathes of Syria and Iraq is showing, once again, that it’s almost as shrewd with social media as it is ruthless on the battlefield. The tweets and blogs apparently are written by Western women married to jihadi warriors.