09.26.14
US social media machine epic fail
With unlimited resources, money and manpower, the US can’t change its image in the Middle East. It’s worse than shit. And it’s even more laughable that it would try to do so during a bombing campaign, one that I’ve pointed out faces no real resistance.
Today, the New York Times ran a piece on State Department attempts to rally people in the Middle East against ISIS and jihadism. That means providing content for social media.
Largely, it’s been a flop as a quick look at the ugly statistics on YouTube show.
The obstacle faced, and it’s a substantial one, is simple to grasp.
How do you counter the social media and propaganda efforts of an emerging nation that relies on its image, for atrocity and blood, as a real world equivalent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?
Has this even occurred to those hired by the State Department to make this video?
Compared to beheadings and news exultatant mass killings — a body being tossed into a pit, dead people at the side of the road, someone strung up with razor wire, it’s all small beer.
You either go for the full live dismemberment by chainsaw or you don’t go at all, so to speak.
And, of course, it seems to also not occurred to anyone at State that having a video where one has to sign in to see it because it contains material that’s objectionable was self-defeating.
So State uploaded the above video twice and apparently gained a dispensation from YouTube to let the second one alone. (Hint to state: Delete the earlier version, it makes you look dumb.)
Here’s a link to the State Department channel, ThinkAgain Turn Away.
The only video with significant views is the one embedded here. And a lot of its views are now due to domestic media publicity.
What do you think?
It’s about what one might expect from a country where the State Department is, in function, nothing more than an appendix.
The nation’s foreign policy is little more than tactical bombing, special ops black bag jobs, sale of arms to human rights abuser/allies in the region and financial sanctions. Of what use could be any media operation posting brief videos featuring slightly menacing music on YouTube?
The “Think Again, Turn Away??? video mocks the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, even briefly showing some of its beheaded victims. But some critics have questioned its deeply sarcastic tone: “You can learn useful new skills for the Ummah! Blowing up mosques. Crucifying and executing Muslims. Plundering public resources.???
Yes, a video of oil spilling out of a barrel, taken from Vice online, will surely do it.
“About 50 people” work for the State Department’s counterterror social media effort, informs the newspaper.
By contrast, the ISIS capitol in Syria currently being bombed by the US military has “scores” of young men posting pro-ISIS news from Internet cafes in the city every day.
Ted Jr. said,
September 26, 2014 at 7:41 pm
All the aforementioned are the price you pay for your “non negotiable” way of life.
I do feel sorry for those with a conscience or enough intellect to perceive just what you are doing to yourselves but as far as the rest go, you’ll deserve all the negative benefits these actions will accrue.
George Smith said,
September 28, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Oh, we’ve been working on filling the bad karma bank for a good long time.