The new and spreading phenomenon of social media and its growing applications have many positive effects for the national security of the US. It may be used as a warning or prevention tool, in military campaigns, e.g., in the war on terror, and as an institutional communication tool. However, social media may also hinder national security. It plays a controversial role in information warfare, may be used as a recruitment tool by terrorists as well as by criminals and hacktivists for purposes of misinformation and spreading uncontrollable threats. Options for dealing with these challenges are as varied as they are controversial. They range from regulating the Internet to leaving social media free of any controls. This thesis evaluates different approaches to regulating the cyberspace while also discussing the positive and negative effects social media has on national security. This thesis finds that social media seems to have a greater negative impact on national security than a positive one. Recommendations include a self-regulation of the Internet rather than an increased government control.
","abstract_html":"<p>The new and spreading phenomenon of social media and its growing applications have many positive effects for the national security of the US. It may be used as a warning or prevention tool, in military campaigns, e.g., in the war on terror, and as an institutional communication tool. However, social media may also hinder national security. It plays a controversial role in information warfare, may be used as a recruitment tool by terrorists as well as by criminals and hacktivists for purposes of misinformation and spreading uncontrollable threats. Options for dealing with these challenges are as varied as they are controversial. They range from regulating the Internet to leaving social media free of any controls. This thesis evaluates different approaches to regulating the cyberspace while also discussing the positive and negative effects social media has on national security. This thesis finds that social media seems to have a greater negative impact on national security than a positive one. Recommendations include a self-regulation of the Internet rather than an increased government control.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Whelpley, Timothy N."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Defense and Strategic Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Andrei Shoumikhin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:37Z","subjects":["social media","intelligence community","national security","cyberspace","open source intelligence","Defense and Security Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Timothy N. Whelpley"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1492","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Andrei Shoumikhin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Whelpley, Timothy N."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Defense and Strategic Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["social media","intelligence community","national security","cyberspace","open source intelligence","Defense and Security Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Timothy N. Whelpley"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1492"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The new and spreading phenomenon of social media and its growing applications have many positive effects for the national security of the US. It may be used as a warning or prevention tool, in military campaigns, e.g., in the war on terror, and as an institutional communication tool. However, social media may also hinder national security. It plays a controversial role in information warfare, may be used as a recruitment tool by terrorists as well as by criminals and hacktivists for purposes of misinformation and spreading uncontrollable threats. Options for dealing with these challenges are as varied as they are controversial. They range from regulating the Internet to leaving social media free of any controls. This thesis evaluates different approaches to regulating the cyberspace while also discussing the positive and negative effects social media has on national security. This thesis finds that social media seems to have a greater negative impact on national security than a positive one. Recommendations include a self-regulation of the Internet rather than an increased government control.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effects of Social Media on U.S. National Security"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Andrei Shoumikhin"],"dc:creator":["Whelpley, Timothy N."],"dc:description.abstract":["The new and spreading phenomenon of social media and its growing applications have many positive effects for the national security of the US. It may be used as a warning or prevention tool, in military campaigns, e.g., in the war on terror, and as an institutional communication tool. However, social media may also hinder national security. It plays a controversial role in information warfare, may be used as a recruitment tool by terrorists as well as by criminals and hacktivists for purposes of misinformation and spreading uncontrollable threats. Options for dealing with these challenges are as varied as they are controversial. They range from regulating the Internet to leaving social media free of any controls. This thesis evaluates different approaches to regulating the cyberspace while also discussing the positive and negative effects social media has on national security. This thesis finds that social media seems to have a greater negative impact on national security than a positive one. Recommendations include a self-regulation of the Internet rather than an increased government control.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1492"],"dc:rights":["© Timothy N. Whelpley"],"dc:subject":["social media","intelligence community","national security","cyberspace","open source intelligence","Defense and Security Studies"],"dc:title":["The Effects of Social Media on U.S. National Security"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Defense and Strategic Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:37Z"}