Use of Social Media to Bridge the Communication Gap in the Military PDF

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Use of Social Media to Bridge the Communication Gap in the Military

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Use of Social Media to Bridge the Communication Gap in the Military Globally, communication in the military utilizes different methods of organizational communication such as vertical, formal and lateral methods of communication. It is also part of military culture that the prominent nature of communication is top down, often referred to as chain of command. In simple terms, chain of command is both written and oral formal systems of communication. The military culture also bears a lot of influence on the mechanisms of communication within the military. For instance, communication is mainly focused on the intended recipients which in most cases are always the active officers and their leadership. The nature of the material content and context characterizing military communication is often clouded in secrecy and as usual is meant for the consumption of the intended parties alone. Also, military organizations have never embraced the ideal of carrying along the public or the civilian population by way of informing them what goes on in the barracks and camps. However, existence of social media the last two decades have presented a totally different atmosphere in the communication world. Social media is considered to be a major opportunity that virtually all industries are capitalizing on to bridge the gaps of traditional methods of communication. Defining the Opportunity In the past, the military was a totally isolated entity from the rest of the society and it was perfectly in order. However, things have been changing over the years to an extent that the military can no longer remain an isolated entity. Wendling, Radisch, & Jacobzone (2016) indicates that social media provides a perfect opportunity of integrating the military into the rest of rest of the society. The military are known to be good in different ways. A part from their constitutionally defined roles, words such as precision, glamour, discipline and many more are deeply entrenched in the military. Despite all these, there has been a deliberate effort to ensure

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the military are fully accepted into the civilian world as normal human beings who also go through the usual human challenges. This research paper suggests the use of social media as one of the communication methods to compliment other strategies intended to transform the military into a civilian friendly and progressive entity. Background Information Before the World War II, the mission of the public affairs of the armed forces was primarily executed via the civilian press; however, the lessons picked up during the period of the war, which lasted for close to six years demonstrated the necessity for the military to have a formally structured public affairs program or unit (DINFOS n.d). If the US’ armed forces wanted success on their side their important mission of defending the country, there was a need to have a support from an informed public as well a fighting force that is equally knowledgeable on certain specifics about the civilian public. Reacting to the reality, the US’ Department of Defense established the Army Information School in Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Barracks, in January 1946 (Strachan, & Harris, 2020). Upon the establishment of the school, public affairs was quickly installed. At the time, radio was the most useful tool in the mass media due to its wide coverage. Television was just arriving and there was an insatiable curiosity around it. Newspaper also played an important role and was still a critical tool especially in circumstances where details mattered. There was little precedent to rely upon while teaching the public on how to track down military matters as well as teaching the armed officers how to relate with the public. In overall, teaching the application of mass communication strategies to facilitate an internal and external information program that would be applicable both at domestic level and abroad was still inconceivable.

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The Army Information School remained open until 1947, where the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps maintained sending a few students to get the training. The department had also expanded this opportunity to the Air Force where a Public Information School was established at Craig Air Force Base in the State of Alabama, as well as a Navy journalism school that was also opened in Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois (Michinici, 2019). These schools served the purpose; though in small scale until the late 1990s when the dynamics of mass communication started changing. With the advent of social media, the military can invent a communication style that is extremely affordable yet very effective through the social media. It is estimated that the number of Americans active on social media are approximately 210 million (Aula, 2018). This is larger than the audience of all the traditional forms of media combined. Justification of this Research Work Military and the society should be one and the same thing. There are myriads of ways that demonstrate how the public and the military interdependent. For instance, they recruit soldiers from the civilian population and also derive their core mandate, which is defending the country from external aggression, from the same public (especially in democratic systems). In several instances, the leaders have acted as an important source of intelligence to the military. The military also ensures safety during disasters such as hurricanes, earth quakes among others. Despite all these, there still exists a big gap between the public and the soldiers. Majority of Americans’ have limited knowledge about their armed forces. According to Graham, Avery & Park (2015), many Americans have relied on movies, news reports, documentaries and books as the main source of the little knowledge they have about the US military. Outside the military, extremely few Americans understand the values, the culture as well as the individuals who make up the most powerful military force on earth. The United

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States Armed Forces, just like every other large organization with a long history, has its own formidable culture, language, and business practices. The Armed Forces may appear incomprehensible, overwhelming, esoteric, or even anachronistic to civilians with the limited knowledge about the military and who have had little or no personal exposure to military culture. However, in order to understand, assist and work with those who serve in the military, a general understanding of the institution is required. The aftermath of the World War II even laid bare the importance of engaging the public in the affairs of the military to certain extent. The leadership of the military in the US picked up this problem and have been rolling out certain programs aimed at ensuring this gap is bridged. The most remarkable step has been the institution of the Public Affairs Unit in the Department of Defense. The significance of public affairs officers in the United States Military grows by the day, especially in an era fraught with technological advancement where the communication space is hugely influenced with social media. For obvious reasons, social media has been critical in helping organizations to manage relationship with the outside public. The military can borrow a leaf from other corporate giants that successfully used the social media to fruitfully engage the public. This is not to say that military has not been using the social media. The Department of defense maintains a presence in the social media but their activities are limited to issuing updates and not aimed at constructive engagement of the public.

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References Aula, P. (2018). Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management. Strategy & Leadership, 38(6), 43-49 Graham, M., Avery, E., & Park, S. (2015). The role of social media in local government crisis communications. PUBLIC RELATIONS REVIEW, 41(3), 386-394. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.02.001 Michinici, L. (2019). STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION IN THE MILITARY. Defense Resources Management in the 21st Century, 14(14), 142-148. Strachan, H., & Harris, R. (2020). The Utility of Military Force and Public Understanding in Today's Britain. RAND. The Defense Information School (DINFOS), Fort George G. Meade, Maryland https://dinfos.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/library/Library%20Content/Public%20Affairs %20-%20PALD/Doctrinal%20Foundations%20of%20Public%20Affairs.pdf Wendling, C., Radisch, J., & Jacobzone, S. (2016). The use of social media in risk and crisis communication. OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, (Dec 2016): 25....