The 'LikeWar': Gaza, Ukraine, and the Social Media Battlefield with Peter Singer, Useful Fiction and New America

This week, A'ndre chatted with Peter Singer, Senior Fellow at New America and Founder of Useful Fiction, about the social media coverage and the 'digital battlefield' that has surrounded the Israel-Gaza War and Ukraine, and what it means for future conflict. Peter provides his take on why the Israel-Gaza War has captured the attention of so many on social media, in addition to outlining what type of social media coverage occurred during the advent of the Russo-Ukraine War. Peter defines what the 'LikeWar' is, talking about how social media's 'digital battlefield' has evolved over the years, particularly focusing on why anger has the tendency to go viral, dominating newsfeeds. A'ndre and Peter talk about the power of narrative, and how governments, non-governmental groups, militants, and more have aimed to weaponize information, imagery, and other content (sometimes laden with misinformation, sometimes not).

Peter's recent Foreign Affairs article on the social media in the Israel-Gaza War can be found here.