In reading Beskow and Carley\u2019s article on social cybersecurity, there were moments where I
contemplated the shift in our modern view of warfare and national security. In their work, it
showed vivid imagery of a battlefield that is not physical, but in our consciousness, our bonds,
and in our beliefs. In the article, it is asserted that information warfare has evolved from being a
supporting element of conflict to being an end to itself. This shows how warfare has ultimately
changed over time. The article also went into detail on social cybersecurity as a science. By
how it is focused on cyber related changes in behavior, social, cultural, and political outcomes, it
can be seen as a vulnerability in our democratic society. By being open, having public
discourse, and being committed to freely exchanging ideas, we are opening ourselves to being
attacked in the new domain. The authors\u2019 further emphasize this by going into how adversaries
would seek to weaken our trust in national institutions and our commitment to values through
the international community. That kind of analysis really puts things into perspective given how
things are globally at the moment. There is an erosion currently happening in the world with
trust and cohesion playing out throughout our democracies. One of the most concerning parts of
this article was in the use of the phrase \u201cmanipulate the global marketplace of beliefs and ideas
at the speed of algorithms.\u201d This kind of phrase suggests an asymmetry between how fast false
narratives can be formed and how slow truth and reasonable discourse can operate. Algorithmic
manipulation can move at fast speeds while fact checking and institutional responses are only at
a human timescale. This article also made me reconsider how I look at what national defense is
in this 21st century that we are living in. In saying that adversaries can win the next war before it
has begun by just undermining social cohesion and trust, then the traditional military might be
insufficient as a result. In this new world, national security is tied to our media literacy, critical
thinking, and civic engagement. In how every person discerns truth from manipulation, it all
becomes a factor of national defense. The article also made me raise questions that I would
further consider in the future. Questions such as, \u201cHow would we be able to balance the need to
defend against cyber threats with how we preserve free speech?\u201d or \u201cHow could we build
resilience as a society against information warfare without becoming authoritarian as a result?\u201d
These questions are ones I will consider in the future and in further research. In Beskow and
Carley\u2019s article, they provided a very informed and in-depth warning. With social cybersecurity
emerging more by the day, there is a matter of national security in how we must prepare people
for life in a world where information is being assaulted in our cyberspace. The battlefield is not
geographic, but it is in fact psychological and is a war with what you can trust. By being aware
of what is happening, you are taking the first step to being resilient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In reading Beskow and Carley\u2019s article on social cybersecurity, there were moments where Icontemplated the shift in our modern view of warfare and national security. In their work, itshowed vivid imagery of a battlefield that is not physical, but in our consciousness, our bonds,and in our beliefs. In the article, it is asserted that information… <\/p>\n