Pop Warfare

“Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence,
understanding, will war disappear.” 

-Osho

To begin with the obvious, there is nothing “pop” or trivial about the horrors of war. The State of War is visited upon humanity all too often, pathologically infecting and impacting large swaths of Earth’s human population. The word Pathology is from the Ancient Greek root of pathos (πάθος), meaning "suffering" …and logia (-λογία), "an account of" …is a foundational identifier in the study of causation of disease… an account of suffering. The condition of War is like a disease, or more closely akin to the fable of the little rodents known as Lemmings, who periodically commit mass suicide… so the story goes.

What is horrific about our modern “War on Terror” as pursued by the likes of US “Homeland Security” and others, is that it falls outside the confines of conventional war. The War on Terror does not have any clearly defined beginning or end. It does not have a designated battlefield, or even a clearly defined enemy. It is a war without boundaries, targeting multiple… real or imaginary… perceived enemies. Consequently, the parameters that encompass the conception of modern warfare have virally expanded.

This state of affairs is especially complicated and confusing when addressing the conflict surrounding the entity known variously as ISIL, the Islamic State… and most nefariously as Daesh (Dawlat al-Islamiyah f'al-Iraq wa al-Sham). Daesh has further expanded the parameters of warfare to include media warfare. Beyond propaganda, Daesh promotes an international “Brand” via a robust social media presence that preys upon the disenfranchised world-wide… so the story goes.

Daesh stands out as a particularly successful example of militant ideologues that has psychically weaponized what once was a factional, if not ethnic… regional Islamic struggle, through the virtual vehicle of social media, and created a platform that can be accessed by millions, daily. Ironically, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like, use the “Follow” function as their primary networking means... thereby reinforcing the recruiting connotation.

In their slick branding, Daesh assumes the persona of David, doing battle against the Goliath that is the Western Empirical Powers. This underdog facade draws many at a time when peoples the world over have understandably lost faith and trust in the presiding dominator cultures. Their message is easily consumed and digested in the alienating, divisory world of social media, where One's actions are not immediately held accountable.

 There are those who are savvy to the new paradigm of social media warfare. It is worth noting that the loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities, collectively known as “Anonymous,” has recently declared war, in response to the Paris attacks.

This emerging social media culture… still in its infancy, remains malleable, especially by those who would twist it to meet their ideological needs. Our emerging culture is driven by popularity... "likes" ..."follows" etc. This popular or "Pop" culture turns on a dime... Morphs... mutates almost instantaneously. In the hands of heartless powers, social media becomes "Pop Warfare" …infecting the vulnerable with the desired ideology. The lines have blurred… the enemies R us… Welcome to the World Entertainment War… welcome to Pop Warfare.

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power... the world will know peace.” 

- Jimi Hendrix