social media
The hashtag #AshWednesday trended on Twitter today for the obvious reason: it's Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, a 40-day period before Easter dedicated to fasting and prayer. Yet accompanying that trend was another, more interactive hashtag: #ashtag.
The embittered battle against ISIS is making nations rethink how to approach social media as a weapon of war. Early this month, Britain announced its plans to form a battalion of "Facebook Warriors" in effort to battle ISIS's adept skills of recruiting through the platform, and also Twitter, YouTube, and other websites.
IS has turned public executions into multifaceted tools of social control, recruitment and unconventional warfare, as well as performances of legitimacy and strength.
The fatal shooting of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Tuesday afternoon has prompted uproar around the world, particularly from Muslims in the Middle East who say U.S. media coverage of stories involving Muslims is often biased.
Andreas Sandre, noted author and diplomat, discusses the evolving role of new media in public diplomacy, and the need for innovation in both foreign policy strategies and diplomatic activities.
Ukrainians are documenting the conflict with Russia online. NPR's Scott Simon talks with the Wall Street Journal's Paul Sonne about how once-lighthearted websites have become grim logs of destruction.
Formerly derided as the domain of time-wasting and self-obsession, social media has emerged as an unlikely shining light for international relations and social activism.
Investigators say ISIS is reaching into American homes to find their newest recruits and their next victims. Of all the weapons used by terrorists one of the most dangerous is social media.