Social media imbibed in the Fifth-generation Warfare is becoming a dominant factor in realpolitik. It is a powerful medium that convinces the audience to change their priorities. News becomes history the next day, but social media may keep it as a permanent event.

"The president [Joe Biden] has contracted the pandemic" was the top social media trend until the State Department issued a rebuttal that the president was okay, spending vacations with his family at a hill station. The trend depicted one of the characteristics of social media in the fifth-generation war today, disturbing a state's political and social framework. This aspect was earlier discussed by Marshall McLuhan, saying “Medium is the message.”
Six Degrees was the first social media website created in 1997 to upload a profile and become friends with other users. Today, social media is a strategic asset used in e-mails, text messages, and news stories, etc., including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, WhatsApp, Snapchat, YouTube, and hashtags. One of its uses, as a tool of 5th Generation Warfare, is under discussion in the ensuing write-up. 
Fifth-generation warfare (5GW) is information warfare where the target may not even know it has been attacked. Thus, the target may have already accepted mental defeat before the war starts. It is a perception-based warfare fought through altering the context. It involves presenting potential adversaries with new observations that falsify hostile orientations and socialize those actors into developing more cooperative orientations.

Fifth-generation warfare (5GW) is information warfare where the target may not even know it has been attacked. Thus, the target may have already accepted mental defeat before the war starts. It is a perception-based warfare fought through altering the context. It involves presenting potential adversaries with new observations that falsify hostile orientations and socialize those actors into developing more cooperative orientations.

Social media imbibed in the 5th Generation Warfare is becoming a dominant factor in realpolitik. It is a powerful medium that convinces the audience to change their priorities. News becomes history the next day, but social media may keep it as a permanent event. It can overshadow the past according to the priorities of originators, “Today’s crisis may override the past in the future.” This was proved on August 6, 2020, when the Beirut blasts produced multi-dimensional effects. Social media immediately spread it worldwide, ignoring the atomic bomb anniversary at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It also spread news like the availability of explosives at the port, some aerial attack, or a conspiracy theory against the Lebanon government. Lebanese citizens were confused about the government's capabilities. This event may have an influence on its future regional policies. Social media may keep this incident alive till a new issue is created, hence the 5GW players achieved diversified results.  
Social media in the 5GW also introduces platforms to organize a particular motive. People are asked to advocate for a movement, store content or tweets for future use, and allow contributions to a movement. Subsequently, merit and justice may be subdued by the flux of one type of ideology. 
Social media was effectively employed in 5GW by the global powers in the recent COVID-19 pandemic. People are still puzzled about the birthplace of the virus. World opinion was divided on lockdown or no lockdown. It influenced the minds of humans so drastically that the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory was also not paid any heed. Resultantly, every nation had its procedures and processes, and the global economy suffered heavily. The oil industry was observed for the first ever time to pay a certain amount with sale per barrel to the buyer. 
Existing 5GW warfare is a tug-of-war between new global power-sharing blocs. These blocs create asymmetric fields which are as follows:
▪ Communication (5G technology, information technology, and services).
▪    Exploration and research (satellites imagery and underwater oil explorations).
▪    Economics (imports, exports, financial aids, grants, and balance of payment).
▪   Human resources (human trafficking, espionage, and diplomats seeking political asylum).
▪    Commerce and trade (currency deals–Dollars vs. Petrodollars, RMB, and Ruble).
▪   Psychological warfare (destroying social values, and exporting own culture).
▪    Promoting own industry and products (arms and military equipment).
▪    Controlling the raw material and trade routes. 
Social media’s moral and political dimensions in the 5GW are being used effectively today. East Timor and Darfur can gain independence immediately within the ambit of United Nations Organization (UNO) due to an effective social media campaign. Palestine and Kashmir are reported negatively as terrorist sanctuaries by these social media operators. In some instances, this role of social media downplays the UN Resolutions and justice. Abhinandan, the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27, 2019, would have been grounded in any professional air force worldwide; however, the social media in India made him a hero, and the ruling party won the elections. This Indian aggression necessitated an immediate UNSC session, but 5GW labeled it as a right to launch the botched Balakot airstrike.

In some instances, this role of social media downplays the UN Resolutions and justice. Abhinandan, the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27, 2019, would have been grounded in any professional air force worldwide; however, the social media in India made him a hero, and the ruling party won the elections.

One of the practical uses of social media in the 5GW was substantiated in the form of the Arab Spring. Thinkers consider it a change in the global map replicating the division after WWII. It began in December 2010 when a Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the arbitrary seizing of his vegetable stand by police over the failure to obtain a permit. The social media was actively utilized in applying 5GW throughout the world. Street protests started in Tunisia, and President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. This move of social media continued in five neighboring countries: Libya, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, and Morocco.
As an offshoot, 5GW formed, organized, and presented the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as a threat to international peace. This has contributed, in part, to the ongoing worldwide refugee crisis, which has seen thousands flee, most often by boat across the Mediterranean Sea, with hopes of new opportunities in Europe. There is a strong counter-social media perception of global players, as they created the fear of ISIL through social media. The hypothesis is compounded when the same opponent global powers have alliances for and against in different global war theatres.
Old concepts of the good guy and the bad guy have been redesigned by the social media and 5GW today. Osama Bin Laden, the New World Order, and Nexus of Evil concepts are effectively used by the social media for a particular agenda setting in respective 5GW. A particular segment of social media has labeled every bearded man and woman wearing a scarf as a terrorist. The target audience does not even realize all the prophets had a beard and Mary (the pious) wore a hijab. Mary (the pious) is respected in the Holy Quran, and a separate chapter is dedicated to her. Tales of all prophets are scattered here and there in the Holy Quran with due respect to their stature and personal conduct. Serious minds worldwide think that the use of social media and 5GW as a tool of hatred amongst humanity needs to be curbed.
Analysts suggest the top trend on social media in the first week of November, after every four years, is the U.S. elections. 5GW has yet to spare even this process; Russia is said to be engaged through social media in the making of U.S. governments in the 2016 elections. Today, any debate on the U.S. elections needs to be more conclusive. The outcome of the new elections in the U.S. depends upon the use of social media and changed dimensions of the 5GW in the campaign's last days.
Military strategists support social media in 5GW as propaganda to accomplish strategic, operational, and tactical objectives. They focus on their strengths and weaknesses as well as on their opponent. 
5GW and social media also affect socioeconomics by preaching all financial transactions and international trade in a particular currency and giving the impression that financial transactions in other currencies are only for financing terrorism worldwide. Developing countries' consumer price index (CPI) does not match international sellers. Resultantly, they are always under financial burden, whereas the dominant international bank owners monitor hundred percent of financial transactions. 
Social media as a tool of the 5GW can be described as a hidden medium combined with an intangible message. This may be in line with the philosophical thoughts of Walter Lippmann, who described it as, “When all think alike, then no one is thinking.”
Nowadays, every state tries to be vigilant of other states’ capabilities. They are cognizant of the devastation of nuclear weapons, hence, they would use social media in the 5GW to secure their interests. This may save the world from destruction. Innovative technologies are also playing a dominant role in accumulating statistical data. Every state is concerned about 5GW and its use through social media. The more a state advances in research technology, the better it will march on other vulnerable states of the world. 
Some states are working on countering social media in the 5GW against their interests. In certain countries, social media is banned, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are prohibited from working. Their government projects in education, health, socialization, awareness, religious harmony, and humanity are being projected through state-owned media only. In certain dominions, people are taught how to coexist in a state with a colorful mixture of individuals of various backgrounds. This specific job has been assigned to opinion leaders in these societies. 
One irritant positive thinkers face in the social media is the spread of fake news. It becomes distorted when a tweet of some head of the state is received globally, and the information ministry of that state issues a different press note. In all such cases, tweets are found to be originating from fake accounts. According to their policies, complaints against these fake sources are dealt with by a particular perception of these channels or sources.  
Social media planners foresee some of the factors for effectively countering the attacks on their culture and national will through 5GW as:  
▪  Primarily education, awareness, and accepting rights and responsibilities under international law. 
▪  Inculcate a sense of nationalism in their students at all educational institutions. They must be taught to embrace the gift of learning and work for societal improvements. 
▪  Evaluation, analysis, and implementation measures are strengths and weaknesses for implementing or countering the combination of social media and 5GW.
▪  Pay attention to education, research, and scientific learning to discourage brain drain and develop promising potential domestically.
▪  Belief, culture, moors, traditions, customs, and norms are promoted through the local opinion leaders, folklore, local heroes, and tales.
▪  Implementation of merit and justice to represent the interests of the people.
▪  Violation of public rights is avoided, as well as a code of ethics by the media. 
▪  Avoid vulgarity, unethical or fake news, sensationalism, and promoting criminal activity under the freedom of speech.

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