Summary of P.W. Singer & Emerson T. Brooking's Likewar

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 The first tweet of the war was sent on May 4, 2009. It was a promotion for Donald Trump’s TV show. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube were just beginning to be used for socializing and sharing content, but they would soon be thrust into the center of civic life and global politics.

#2 Through his Twitter account, Trump began posting about politics and drawing attention to himself. In the three years that followed, he would personally author some 15,000 tweets.

#3 The Trump campaign was not just a marketing or political campaign, but also an information war fought by hundreds of millions of people across dozens of social media platforms. The participants ranged from politicians and celebrities to soldiers, criminals, and terrorists.

#4 The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh in Arabic, launched a social media campaign in 2014 to promote their invasion of northern Iraq. They posted selfies of black-clad militants and Instagram images of convoys that looked like Mad Max come to life. Their demands for swift surrender were spread both regionally and personally, via the internet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669382225

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on P.W. Singer & Emerson T. Brooking's Likewar

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The first tweet of the war was sent on May 4, 2009. It was a promotion for Donald Trump’s TV show. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube were just beginning to be used for socializing and sharing content, but they would soon be thrust into the center of civic life and global politics.

#2

Through his Twitter account, Trump began posting about politics and drawing attention to himself. In the three years that followed, he would personally author some 15,000 tweets.

#3

The Trump campaign was not just a marketing or political campaign, but also an information war fought by hundreds of millions of people across dozens of social media platforms. The participants ranged from politicians and celebrities to soldiers, criminals, and terrorists.

#4

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh in Arabic, launched a social media campaign in 2014 to promote their invasion of northern Iraq. They posted selfies of black-clad militants and Instagram images of convoys that looked like Mad Max come to life. Their demands for swift surrender were spread both regionally and personally, via the internet.

#5

The invasion of Mosul by ISIS was a complete surprise to the Iraqi army, which stood ready to defend the city. But most of the army and police officers either deserted or were corrupted by money.

#6

The German blitzkrieg was made possible by radio, which allowed their armored formations to move in swift harmony. The Islamic State used the internet itself as a weapon, and won a victory that should not have been possible.

#7

ISIS’s momentum was just the leading edge of a broader, globe-spanning phenomenon. The technology it was using, rather than any unique genius on the part of the jihadists, was at the heart of the group’s disruptive power.

#8

Because the Islamic State was also online, the physical and digital battlefields could become incredibly close. The Kurdish news network Rudaw didn’t just send cameramen to embed with soldiers on the front lines; it also livestreamed the whole thing, promising instant access to the carnage.

#9

The intersection of old geography and new technology has led to the increase in gang violence