Military social influence: Commentary on the article by Sara King (2010), Military social influence in the global information environment: A civilian primer

Abstract

King's discussion is pertinent to the British defence and security agenda, where influence was recently named as a key objective and capability. I argue that as stakeholders, it is our obligation to monitor the application of our psychological science in order to minimize or avoid the risks of its misinterpretation and misapplication. Academic scholars could contribute in a number of ways to military social influence campaigns. In doing so, we may realize that our understanding of social influence is limited. Future research on influence ought to consider its relevance for the social world we now live in. © 2011 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.