LikeWar by P.W. Singer Summary

LikeWar by P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking explores how social media platforms have become weapons in modern warfare and politics. The book examines how both state and non-state actors use platforms like Twitter and Facebook to manipulate narratives, spread disinformation, and influence elections and armed conflicts. Singer and Brooking argue that the digital battlefield is no longer a metaphor—tweets can be as powerful as tanks in shaping real-world outcomes.

P.W. Singer is a New York Times bestselling author, strategist at New America, and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. Described by the Wall Street Journal as "the premier futurist in the national-security environment," Singer has been named to Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers list and has more books on US military reading lists than any other living author. Emerson T. Brooking is his co-author and collaborator on analyzing information warfare and digital policy in modern conflict.

LikeWar is essential reading for anyone living in a democracy, according to Booklist. The book is particularly valuable for policymakers, military strategists, journalists, cybersecurity professionals, and social media users who want to understand how digital platforms shape modern conflicts. It's also crucial for educators, students, and business leaders navigating misinformation campaigns and seeking to understand how information warfare affects politics, elections, and international relations in the digital age.

LikeWar was named an Amazon and Foreign Affairs book of the year and is considered essential reading for understanding modern warfare. The book provides timely, incisive analysis backed by Singer and Brooking's extensive expertise in military strategy and information warfare. Reviewers praise its accessible yet comprehensive approach, calling it "required reading" for anyone seeking to understand how social media has transformed conflict. The 416-page book balances entertainment with deep insights into psychology, sociology, and technology.

The term "LikeWar" describes how social media platforms have created a new form of conflict where engagement metrics—likes, shares, and retweets—become weapons of war. Singer and Brooking explain that digital battles for attention and influence now occur alongside physical warfare, with viral content shaping political outcomes and military strategies. The concept emphasizes that modern conflicts extend beyond traditional battlefields into digital spaces where narratives are crafted, contested, and consumed in real-time through social media platforms.

LikeWar presents five core principles explaining how social media functions as a weapon. Key ideas include how authoritarian regimes use censorship and disinformation to maintain power, how business models reward virality over veracity (what gets attention versus what's true), and how information warfare sows doubt rather than replacing truth with coherent lies. The book traces social media's evolution from a utopian vision of free information exchange toward a dystopian tool for manipulation, examining wars for attention and conflicts that drive both the web and world.

Singer and Brooking detail systematic ways state and non-state actors alter accepted narratives through social media. The book explains how manipulative actors exploit algorithmic amplification, psychological vulnerabilities, and viral content to control information ecosystems. Drawing from psychology, sociology, and technology history, the authors show how rapid information dissemination blurs lines between truth and falsehood. They examine how social media firms' business models—prioritizing engagement over accuracy—make platforms vulnerable to weaponization and create difficulties for democracies defending against disinformation campaigns.

According to Singer and Brooking in LikeWar, the goal of weaponized social media is not to replace truth with a single, coherent lie. Instead, the objective is to sow doubt in people's minds about all information, making them less likely to seek or trust any truth. This approach creates confusion and paralysis, allowing manipulative actors—whether authoritarian governments, terrorist groups, or political campaigns—to control narratives and shape reality in ways that serve their strategic interests during conflicts and political campaigns.

LikeWar contains nine chapters progressing from foundational concepts to solutions. The book begins by defining "LikeWar" and providing overviews of internet origins and social media's advent. Middle chapters examine how authoritarians use censorship and disinformation, how business rewards virality over veracity, and wars for attention and power across different contexts and conflicts. The final chapters define current rules and rulers of LikeWar and propose ideas for moving forward. Throughout, Singer and Brooking weave examples from diverse global conflicts in an entertaining yet informative fashion.

While LikeWar received widespread acclaim as an Amazon and Foreign Affairs book of the year, some critiques focus on the challenge of proposing concrete solutions to complex problems embedded in social media business models. The book acknowledges that social media firms' profit incentives—rewarding engagement over accuracy—make meaningful change difficult. Some readers may find the rapid pace of technological change means certain examples quickly become dated. However, the book's framework for understanding information warfare remains relevant for analyzing evolving social media manipulation tactics.

LikeWar remains critically relevant in 2025 as social media manipulation tactics have only intensified with advances in AI-generated content, deepfakes, and algorithmic targeting. The principles Singer and Brooking identified—virality over veracity, doubt-sowing strategies, and weaponized narratives—now apply to emerging platforms and technologies. Recent elections, geopolitical conflicts, and public health crises demonstrate how information warfare continues shaping global events. The book's framework helps readers understand contemporary disinformation campaigns, making it essential reading for navigating today's complex media landscape and digital conflicts.

Readers interested in LikeWar by P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking should explore:

• Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know by P.W. Singer, which covers related digital security topics
• The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher examines social media's societal impact.
• This Is Not Propaganda by Peter Pomerantsev explores modern information warfare.
• Mindf*ck by Christopher Wylie reveals Cambridge Analytica's data manipulation tactics.
• For understanding technological warfare broadly, Singer's Wired for War examines robotics in 21st-century conflict.