For the past 18 months we have been researching the impact of Twitter on crisis escalation and came up with some policy recommendations for @DeptofDefense and @Twitter. Here’s what we found: https://twitter.com/KCL_CSSS/status/1283401153573728260

The US is asymmetrically vulnerable to escalation by tweet. It uses Twitter way more than other countries (see infographics!) and therefore needs to build resilience against disinformation campaigns. Officials need to consider how tweets will be interpreted by diverse audiences

Escalation is political. A tweet might not start a nuclear war, but could accelerate escalation depending on various dynamics and pre-existing views. Therefore, emphasis should be on pre-crisis escalation management.

USG can do more to coordinate messaging over social media. In recent crises, some Twitter accounts seemed to be working at cross-purposes. And recent debate over @US_Stratcom Myth Mondays has highlighted some confusion in messaging strategies @mattkorda @paul_scharre @narangvipin

But most important recommendation of all: once a crisis starts, officials should STOP TWEETING from any personal accounts and rely on coordinated interagency messaging to avoid mixed messages and inadvertent escalation

The report drew on phenomenal research and inputs from folks incl @katestarbird @KBruusgaard @nuclearoslo @nonstrategic @StanleyConnect @htrinkunas @StanfordCISAC @baklitsky @NATO @LeonieHaiden
@KCStratComms @Atomic_Chess and the amazing design team @RFDesign_uk

For more information on @KCL_CSSS research into Twitter escalation, see https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/twitter-escalation