The Information Component of Ukraine’s National Power

The Use of Social Media as a Communication Battlefield

Abstract

Through the personal example of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, we can observe a global trend, namely how political and wartime communication is increasingly shifting towards social media platforms. While during the wars of the 20th century news from the front typically reached the public through war correspondents’ reports via traditional media, a phenomenon of the 21st century is that social media is increasingly taking over the role of information dissemination. Those politicians who recognized in time that social media has become the newest arena of political communication have gained a strategic advantage. One textbook example of this is Volodymyr Zelensky, who transitioned from actor to politician, then from politician to wartime leader, and is able to credibly portray himself in these various roles, largely thanks to social media.