Filed under: Social Networking
We’ll bypass both the criticisms and the flag waving for now, and establish one simple fact about the Iraq war: we found and captured Saddam Hussein. It’s a success that is often lost in the sea of critiques (deserved and otherwise) and overshadowed by our failure to do the same with Osama Bin Laden. What makes this success particularly interesting, however, is how the military utilized what were, at the time, relatively new ideas regarding the ways in which people form interpersonal networks — now the linchpin of modern social networking sites.
Traditional, Western models of military and government power are understood to be strictly hierarchical, top-to-down commands. But Iraqi society does not have the same fundamental structure; on the contrary, it relies heavily on tribal ties.
Continue reading How Social Networking Helped Bag Saddam Hussein
How Social Networking Helped Bag Saddam Hussein originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pine for your glory days but hate pulling those dusty old 
One of the biggest problems with social networking sites is that, while we make new connections and rediscover old friends, we’re hidden from the daylight and relegated to the confines of our homes. As a result, the Nosferatu-like pallor we’ve developed tends to scare off those virtual friends we end up meeting in the real world. 
If you’re one of those people with about 3,000 
