Social networks and the internet have been a valuable force multiplier for Ukraine and the allies of democracy during the early days of Russia's invasion
How much will it matter? Notes on the platforms in wartime — Over the past decade, the biggest tech companies came to feel less …
PlatformerCasey Newton
Context & Ripple Effects
The opening information battle was already two-sided: Russia-backed falsehoods put major platforms on the defensive, while Russia's leading internet providers moved to restrict Twitter and Facebook access. Against that backdrop, the article frames online networks as operational infrastructure for Ukraine and aligned democracies rather than merely a venue for commentary.
Ukraine and its democratic allies gain a faster channel for circulating information and countering Russia-backed narratives as platforms face a direct disinformation challenge.
Russia's restrictions on Twitter and Facebook place access to major social platforms at the center of the conflict, limiting the same information channels inside Russia.
Second-order effects
Major platforms must make wartime enforcement decisions on propaganda, hate, and violent content, a pressure that later produced rapid rule rewrites across the sector.
The contest shifts from content distribution alone to the resilience of the networks and partnerships that support Ukraine's communications and cyberdefense.
Third-order effects
Wartime platform governance is becoming a strategic capability: private network access and content-policy choices can shape who can communicate and whose narratives circulate during a conflict.
If this pattern persists, governments and platforms will face lasting pressure to define when emergency restrictions and exceptional moderation rules should apply across borders.
The trend: Digital platforms are being treated as contested strategic infrastructure, combining information distribution, access control, and cyberdefense in geopolitical conflict.
I wrote about social networks as a pro-democracy force in the early days of this terrible war. I don't expect they will prove decisive — but during a terrible time, they have offered some reasons for hope https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
“it has been striking, watching the horrific invasion of Ukraine that Vladimir Putin's Russia began on Thursday, the degree to which social networks have been used in efforts to preserve democracy”, writes @CaseyNewton https://www.platformer.news/ ...
@gah650 right now the debate is “crypto will help Russia evade sanctions” vs. “no it won't,” so I'm gonna let it play out a bit more. I did note the Ukrainians have raised $20M in crypto, though!
Thoughtful piece from the great @CaseyNewton on this same exact point... but with more detail, research and just ... better in every way than a dumb tweet. https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Apart from a certain egocentric perspective - “there's no more urgent business amidst of this war than to win my sympathy” - it's also a bad take for another reason. Ukraine is good in social media in comparison with whom? Apparently with their enemy, the Russians
@CaseyNewton Thanks for this. As horrible as this invasion is, it will also serve as another A/B test on social networks. The current gestalt is that they are often at fault in political situations, but we may be in a situation where they may be helpful. Lots to digest in the nea…
But it has been striking ... the degree to which social networks have been used in efforts to preserve democracy. - The internet is a force multiplier for Ukraine, by @CaseyNewton https://www.platformer.news/ ...
I would guess that at least 90% of the images, videos, and stories on social media purportedly coming from Ukraine are either completely false, mostly false, or twisted to push a narrative.
The stakes have rarely been higher. For a few days, the internet has been a valuable force multiplier for 🇺🇦 & allies of democracy. But the worst of this war is very likely yet to come. & when it arrives, it may have consequences no internet platform is equipped to address alone.
So the underlying assumption of this argument is that Russia's *not* so good in social media. But that's just wrong. Russia's great and amazing in social media. It launched its own propaganda campaign which is absolutely victorious and achieved its goals brilliantly https://twitt…
Majority of Russian are still fed a very distorted picture of what is happening in Ukraine. Kremlin is actively enforcing censorship, shuts down individual media, slows down social networks and considers adopting new draconic treason laws right now. 9/14
An overview of the role social media and the platforms have played in Ukraine that gets sharper as @CaseyNewton considers how things can go sideways. Helpful discussion about the benefits, limits and entanglements of big tech acting as quasi-states https://www.platformer.news/ ..…
Twitter Spaces, WhatsApp groups, and websites detailing how to join a newly established foreign legion. Across social media platforms, many users are busy swapping tips on how to cross the border into western Ukraine and discussing what equipment to bring. https://www.independent…
A sharp, sober take on cautious optimism — the platforms feel more like they did during the Arab Spring than the 2016 election Was waiting for this, and @CaseyNewton on Ukraine did not disappoint https://www.platformer.news/ ...
What goal does Russia pursue in this information war? What kind of image does it want to convey? I believe that the logic behind the Russian propaganda campaign is based on a fundamental Machiavellian principle - it's much more necessary to be feared than loved https://twitter.co…
It ran a few fake personas posing as authors. They had fake profile pics (likely GAN), and unusually detailed public bios - e.g. former civil aviation engineer, hydrography expert. The op posted their articles on its websites and social media, & amplified them using more fakes.
It takes a *full scale war* for Facebook to do anything about disinformation networks. We saw the same thing in Myanmar - it took ethnic cleansing to nudge FB into feigning action. Facebook only ever acts after it's too late because it doesn't care. https://www.theguardian.com/ .…