Bibliograph

Friended at the front, social media in the American war zone, Lisa Ellen Silvestri

Type

Label

Friended at the front, social media in the American war zone, Lisa Ellen Silvestri

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-234) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Friended at the front

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

910664555

Responsibility statement

Lisa Ellen Silvestri

Series statement

CultureAmerica

Sub title

social media in the American war zone

Summary

"For most of us, clicking "like" on social media has become fairly routine. For a Marine, clicking "like" from the battlefield lets his social network know he's alive. This is the first time in the history of modern warfare that US troops have direct, instantaneous connection to civilian life back home. Lisa Ellen Silvestri's Friended at the Front documents the revolutionary change in the way we communicate across fronts. Social media, Silvestri contends, changes what it's like to be at war. Based on in-person interviews and online with the US Marines, Friended at the Front explores the new media habits, attitudes, and behaviors of troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the complications that emerge in their wake. The book pays particular attention to the way US troops use Facebook and YouTube to narrate their experiences to civilian network members, to each other, and, not least of all, to themselves. After she reviews evolving military guidelines for social media engagement, Silvestri explores specific practices amongst active duty Marines such as posting photos and producing memes. Her interviews, observations, and research reveal how social network sites present both an opportunity to connect with civilians back home, as well as an obligation to do so--one that can become controversial for troops in a war zone. Much like the war on terror itself, the boundaries, expectations, and dangers associated with social media are amorphous and under constant negotiation. Friended at the Front explains how our communication landscape changes what it is like to go to war for individual service members, their loved ones, and for the American public at large."--, Jacket

Table Of Contents

Introduction : New faces of war -- Incongruities across social media and military cultures -- From posting mail to posting status -- Photos from the field -- Marine Corps video memes -- Conclusion : This means war

resource.variantTitle

Social media in the American war zone

Classification