When social media becomes part of warfare
Researchers at the Risk and Crisis Research Centre RCR at Mid Sweden University are investigating risk and crisis communication to the public before and during war. The research reveals a media landscape in which not only government agencies but also civil society and citizens are important actors.
"Through the war in Ukraine, we clearly see how social media platforms are used for many purposes: for strategic information about the course of the war, to mobilize resistance, to report and warn of airstrikes, to search for relatives, to report and document abuses and war crimes, and to identify and inform about fake news and disinformation," says Minna Lundgren, Ph.D. in sociology at Mid Sweden University.
The results of the studies show that there has been a clear shift from previous mass communication, where the population was primarily the recipient and the information was largely controlled by the military and authorities. Now we have a situation where the population, civil society and authorities are all actors who create, share and disseminate information.
"But in war, the big difference is that there is also an antagonistic actor that affects both physical and digital communication environments. In addition to the threat and destruction of critical communication infrastructure, the information landscape is characterized by large amounts of disinformation and the digital environment is an extended battlefield," says Maja Klinga, PhD student in sociology at Mid Sweden University.
Russia's annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas since 2014, as well as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, have changed the security situation in Europe. This has also left its mark on the latest research literature, where the Ukrainian experience largely characterizes research on war-related communication. In the literature review of current research that has been examined, you also find gaps – and areas where more research is needed.
"There are gaps in terms of knowledge about communication with specific groups that may not be reached through digital channels, such as the elderly and people with disabilities," says Minna Lundgren.
Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has also affected preventive risk communication to the population in Sweden's neighbouring countries. While the Baltic countries inform their respective citizens about war situations, the specific conditions that prevail during wars and how the population can prepare for war, Finnish information on crisis preparedness is more general. There are also significant differences between countries in making information accessible and adaptable for people with different disabilities, for children and in different languages.
"We believe that there are experiences from Ukraine that can be useful for Swedish authorities, for example in situations that are characterized by disruptions in important infrastructure and where it is important to reach different groups of the population with information. More research is needed on how the local population and civil society can play an important role as disseminators of knowledge, and such research could advantageously be conducted in collaboration with Ukrainian universities and research institutes," says Minna Lundgren.
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Contact person:
Minna Lundgren, Ph.D. in Sociology at Mid Sweden University, minna.lundgren@miun.se
Other authors:
Maja Klinga, PhD student in sociology at Mid Sweden University
Olga Filippova, Associate Professor of Sociology at Kharkiv University
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