Social Media, World Views, and How it Affects the Military

2016-01-27T13:10:31-05:00

Social media. It’s both a godsend and a curse, wrapped up in a myriad of applications and webpages. It provides us instant news, instant opinions, and instant fallacies. Why would this be considered a concern for our military community? Because military members have learned to accept others through integration. We have been changed by our service and we have changed our service. The rest of the world is separate from us.

Let’s start off easy. Social media is wonderful. People can express their opinions, link up with old friends, and can sound off in America with minimal repercussion. It has become a megaphone for those who were once were voiceless.

How does this equate to world views? Easily. Think of all the times you witness families eat dinner in a restaurant and no one can let their phones go. It is like the device is glued to their palms. I’ve done it myself; it’s now just a part of modern life. These people are only reading the content that fits into their worldview. How are you supposed to evolve intellectually without the glow of your brand new phone on your face? (Sarcasm.)

My concern is that people aren’t forced to interact with others like they used to, and they are blindly accepting what others say on social media.

America is known as a melting pot, but our country is beginning to think in smaller and smaller terms. There are no longer valuable exchanges of differing information. Everyone is beginning to identify by specific labels in order to choose the information they want to consume, narrowing their overall worldviews. People identify according to their regions, for example. We have the South (which I consider myself a part of), the North, Urban, Rural, West Coasters, East Coasters . . . and so on. Social media is constricting our views on each other, because content is too well tailored to its audience. How do you find solace when people are profiting off of divisiveness?

The military does a wonderful job telling you where you need to be, what to think, and how to act. Civilians, on average, do not get this training. They don’t get the level of training and misery (PowerPoint Death) that we do. Service members bond through shared experiences. We live, breathe, eat, and die with one other. We spend our nights drinking, our days training, and our years being deployed. We integrate through love of service and of one another.

This creates a resounding effect on the military. Our military is completely dependent on young men and women joining its rank. In a burgeoning market for media and opinions, how do we combat ignorance through excessive social media? I’ll be honest - I don’t know. The main reason behind this post is that I want you to reach out to those that you might not initially agree with or speak to, and make it a point to educate yourself beyond what you see on social media.

In summation, I want you all to know that you are the reason that freedom, diversity, and a path forward exists. Our trials and tribulations foment an undying love of country and compatriots. I legitimately believe that we need to espouse the military way of acceptance on our countrymen.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 27 at 2016 1:45 PM

2016-01-27T13:45:04-05:00

It's really hard to follow the three wars because the reporting is sporadic at best. It's hard to form an opinion when the reporting is anemic and Corps commanders and above can't solve our military problems.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 27 at 2016 2:09 PM

2016-01-27T14:09:38-05:00

We already know that texting while driving is a bigger threat even than driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Many can't handle texting while walking without hurting themselves. Texting in restaurants is just annoying. Texting while meeting with me is rude. But, it may me that "over-connectedness" may be the biggest threat in our lives today. Not to put too fine a point on it, but a bigger threat to America than other nations because America was built for the individual. Connectedness is built for the hive. Propagandists have jumped all over it. Savy politicians use it to free themselves from the shackles of centralized parties and form their own political hives with a hive-mind mentality.

Now, there are those who think that the military is a hive. And, to a degree it is. Still, it is made up of individuals. Indeed, the ability of the American soldier to take initiative has long been one of our greatest assets. Armies that fear individuality, that goose-step unquestioning discipline into their members, seem to succeed until the head is cut off. Communications are lost. Leaders are killed. Units then loose cohesion and fail. American units - fire teams, squads, platoons, companies, battalions, brigades and regiments - are full of nascent leaders who emerge when needed. I well-remember one instance in Vietnam when a battalion commander was speaking on the radio with an RTO. When he asked for the platoon leader, the RTO responded, "He's dead". Same for the platoon sergeant and the squad leaders. "Who's in charge?" "No one," the RTO replied. "Well then, you are," the battalion commander said and the RTO got the remainder of his unit through the firefight. No, they didn't lose.

Use social media as a tool, not a crutch, and you'll be okay.