Cyberspace War

Most of the world learns of conflict through stories on the web. Nearly 1 billion people are now connected digitally. At the same time, the digital realm of cyberspace has its share of rapscallions and scoundrels. Internet users have to develop a skeptical as well as a discerning eye, particularly about information coming out of war zones from sources that have chosen sides. When verified as truthful, images potentially have a sledgehammer impact on viewers' opinion formation by creating iconic images of an event (Perlmutter & Wagner, 2004.
Readers are urged to contact journalists directly with their comments via email links, and to offer their opinions by way of message boards. Some large news organizations, like Fox and CNN, weave these comments into some of their programs or present them as opinion blocks. During the 2003 Iraq War, comments all along the political spectrum brought out many disputes that may have changed people’s perspectives on the war. These perspectives changed the main stream of people based on information from the web or even bog sites.
The personal flow of information can be transferred by cutting and pasting as well as sending large folders of information through email. Some may have discarded the original posting and forwarded it anyway. Many views can be influenced because of sites such as Google news. It captures news minutes after it has happened and people can access and download and forwarded the information to family and friends.

Berenger, R. D. (2006). Introduction: War in cyberspace. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(1), article 9. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue1/berenger.html

Introduction: War in Cyberspace
Ralph D. Berenger, Guest EditorJournalism and Mass Communication The American University in Cairo