War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Became the New Battlefield

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Russia's campaign to interfere with the 2016 election was carried out online on social media.

Now, a new report from the U.S. organization Freedom House says governments of 30 countries around the world are using online "armies of opinion shapers to meddle in elections, advance anti-democratic agendas and repress their citizens."

This broad and often frightening use of social media comes as no surprise to journalist David Patrikarakos. He’s written a new book about how social media is changing the face of conflict in our modern era.

After years spent covering conflicts unfolding overseas, he says the likes of Twitter and Facebook have bred new brands of waging war, from “troll farms” in Russia pumping out propaganda online, to citizens using Facebook to crowd-source arms for physical battle.

His book is called "War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century."

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich