Soldiers and Social Media: Challenges, Advantages, and Disadvantages (2023)

By Sergeant First Class Michael Miller

198 Infantry Brigade

June 4, 2018

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Maintaining a social media presence is typical of today's soldiers, so it's important that they comply with Army policies. With that in mind, using social media has its challenges and benefits.

Challenges include avoiding unacceptable political views, posting discriminatory comments or inappropriate material, participating in online gatherings, and infringing copyrights. On the other hand, benefits include social connections with family, friends, support groups, and networking opportunities with professional organizations.

In addition to these challenges and benefits, there are several downsides, including operations security breaches, risk to family safety, and misconduct as a negative reflection of the Army.

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Political Views

Political conversations can cause reactions on social media and at work. Soldiers may be tempted to express personal opinions about the country's political climate, which can lead to violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In particular, disrespecting the US President through posts, memes, and videos is a violation of the UCMJ.¹

Article 88 of the UCMJ establishes: "Any commissioned officer who uses derogatory words against the President, Vice President, Congress, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of a military department, Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or the legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the possession in which he is on duty or present, will be punished as determined by a court martial."²

Enlisted soldiers who make derogatory or disrespectful statements about political leaders may violate article 134 of the UCMJ when they make such comments on a social networking site.

Article 134 of the UCMJ establishes: "Although not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorder and negligence that threaten good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a dishonorable nature for the armed forces, and crimes and Non-capital offenses The infractions of which the persons subject to this chapter are guilty will be brought to the attention of a general, special or summary court martial, depending on the nature and degree of the infraction, and will be sanctioned at the discretion of that court."³

Because social media provides a seemingly anonymous platform for free speech and candor, soldiers can revert to personal politics, resulting in potential discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. Soldiers may think they can easily share how they feel without fear of repercussions online, but this is wrong.⁴

One way to mitigate potential misconduct is to avoid posting what you wouldn't say in person.⁵Words spoken cannot be unspoken or unheard, and while it is possible to delete posts from social media, soldiers cannot be sure that the information is no longer visible.

inappropriate materials

The Army does not allow soldiers to display inappropriate signs in their barracks or offices; However, social networks allow everyone to post photos and videos however they want. The challenge here is that soldiers can feel entitled to post photos, videos or whatever they want without restrictions. Therefore, they must keep an eye on their positions, making sure they stay within the Army's standard of good order and discipline. A general rule of thumb to follow is that if a photo cannot be displayed in your office or barracks, the photos should not be posted online because the effects are the same, including the ramifications of such behaviors.

fraternization

Social networks can be a host for personal and professional development, as well as a means of communication within an organization. However, professional lines in a unit that has an uncontrolled presence on social media may develop inappropriate relationships.⁶

Professional relationships become inappropriate when conversations deviate from the original purpose of a unit's social media platform. Soldiers of different ranks and positions should wait until they are no longer assigned to the same immediate chain of command (battalion level) before becoming friends on social media, if at all. Unit posts must keep Soldiers and their families informed, without creating an environment that promotes or supports non-military action.

Army Regulation 600-20, Army Command Policy, section 4-14b states:

Soldiers of different ranks should be aware that their interactions do not create a real or clearly foreseeable perception of undue familiarity between an officer and an enlisted soldier, or between a sergeant and a noncommissioned officer.

All relationships between soldiers of different ranks are prohibited if:

1. Compromising or appearing to compromise the integrity of the supervisory authority or chain of command.
2. Causing real or perceived bias or injustice.
3. Involve, or appear to involve, the misuse of rank or position for personal gain.
4. Son, or are perceived as tales, of an exploitative or coercive nature.
5. Creates a real or clearly foreseeable adverse impact on the command's discipline, authority, morale, or ability to accomplish its mission.⁷

copyright infringement

Finally, social networks increase the chances of copyright infringement. Soldiers should be aware of the protection status of the information, images, and videos they post. While some material is available for fair use, an owner may choose to protect their property or material. To use copyrighted material that displays a copyright message, please contact the owner for permission to use the material, or continue to find fair use material and give proper credit.⁸

Benefits

social connection

While there are many challenges for soldiers using social media, there are also many benefits. Maintaining personal connections with family, friends, and support groups is one advantage of social media. By communicating with friends and family through chat, photos and videos, soldiers relieve stress.

Equally important is access to support groups, which allow soldiers to receive help. For example, a former member of the author's previous unit was able to receive mental health support after posting what appeared to be a suicide note on Facebook. The soldier's friend immediately contacted the chain of command who located and provided assistance to the soldier.

In addition to keeping in touch with friends and family, accessing and networking with professionals and their organizations is another benefit of social media. As a result, social media can facilitate career opportunities for soldiers leaving the Army. There are several websites and other online resources that allow soldiers to post resumes and share information with potential employers. These services provide soldiers with contracting opportunities and help save money while they are looking for a job.

Soldier's Comments

The Army benefits from social media because it gives soldiers a voice on a wide variety of issues. For example, to continue to improve the fighting force, the Army can solicit and use Soldier input to develop systems and processes, or Soldiers can instantly communicate and support Army messages to friends, family, and the general public. Social media also opens up channels of communication, allowing Soldiers to access updates from the Army on current and upcoming programs and policies. In short, social media is not a replacement for face-to-face leadership; however, it reduces the time it takes for communication to reach individual soldiers.

On a different note, soldiers who violate the Army command's disparagement policy are subject to punishment under the UCMJ.⁹The best way to ensure this isn't a problem in the first place is to make corrections on the spot and escalate to disciplinary actions as necessary.

Disadvantages

security operations

The Office of the Chief of Public Affairs [of the Army] explains that the security of operations is a main concern as the popularity of social networks increases.¹⁰The habit of publishing location via geotagging, which shares the user's location in real time, can lead to OPSEC violations and compromised missions. Terrorists can follow soldiers online to gather information for future attacks.

When soldiers share location and plans, they put personal and family safety at risk. Military identification information such as rank, name, and movement dates should not be posted online, in addition to equipment types and capabilities. Burglars can follow soldiers' social media posts to determine exactly when to rob a home or expect malicious intent.

To aid in operational, personal and family security, the geotagging feature should be disabled on the social media platform in use. As Fitbit's recent geotagging security issue demonstrated, soldier locations can be found online via geotagging.

Related: Spy-friendly: fitness trackers and OPSEC risksby Dayton Ward, NCOJ

poor reflex army

Individual misconduct reflects negatively on Army values, discipline, and culture. Misconduct will affect how people view the Army and the mindset of potential recruits and their families.

Spoken words can echo before fading out over time; however, social media posts last forever, even after deleting them. It only takes one person to repost and reopen a wound. Soldiers must be smart and learn from their mistakes. More importantly, they must learn from the mistakes of others.

Conclution

The Army cannot function on electronic communication alone, leaders must address communication challenges with their Soldiers before they become problems. Soldiers raised in a social media environment may not have the competency to carry on face-to-face conversations, but face-to-face communication is important when explaining key points and soliciting real-time feedback.

Developing a culture where soldiers understand the limitations of social media is critical to their overall understanding and appreciation of these platforms. The key to individual success is to think before you post. Additionally, leaders must continue to model the correct behaviors for young soldiers to emulate.

Grades:

1. “Article 88. Contempt for Officials”, website of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, accessed May 11, 2018,http://www.ucmj.us/sub-chapter-10-punitive-articles/888-article-88-contempt-toward-officials.
2. “Article 88. Contempt for Officials”, website of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, accessed May 11, 2018,http://www.ucmj.us/sub-chapter-10-punitive-articles/888-article-88-contempt-toward-officials.
3. “Article 134. General Article”, website of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, accessed May 18, 2018,http://www.ucmj.us/sub-chapter-10-punitive-articles/934-article-134-general-article.
4. Department of the Army Equal Opportunity Branch, Professionalization of Online Conduct, ALTRACT 075/2017 (Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army Equal Opportunity Branch, August 17, 2017),https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/socialmedia/ALARACT_075_2017_professionalization_of_online_conduct.pdf.
5. Department of the Army Equal Opportunity Branch, Professionalization of Online Conduct, ALARACT 014/2017, (Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army Equal Opportunity Branch, February 26, 2017),https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/socialmedia/alaract_014_2017_professionalization_of_online_conduct.pdf.
6. Department of the Army, "The Victory Standard," Fort Riley Standards Book (Washington, D.C. Department of the Army, 2016) 21,http://www.riley.army.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Units/1ID/TheVictoryStandard_2016.pdf.
7. S. Army, Army Command Policy, AR 600-20 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 6 de noviembre de 2014),https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r600_20.pdf.
8. Victoria McGrath, "How to Tell if Images on the Internet Are Copyrighted," Legal Zoom website,http://info.legalzoom.com/internet-images-copyright-24225.html.
9. Pomeroy Brenton, "It's Time to Get Into Social Media," Military Review, March 23, 2017,http://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2017-Online-Exclusive-Articles/Time-to-Engage-in-Social-Media/.
10. Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, U.S. Army Social Media Manual (Washington, D.C: Online and Social Media Division, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, January 2011),http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a549468.pdf.