Drone feeds are shaping public perceptions of war

• Instagram, Telegram and X, among other outlets, are littered with combat clips. All it takes is the correct pattern of online engagement to slip into that stream.

Between the lines: It's not without purpose, of course. Such footage is powerfully persuasive.

• Successful Ukrainian strikes warn Russian invaders: If you come here, you will die. Captions and comments double down on the message.
• Think of these videos as the wartime posters of yore. There's a reason thermite-spewing "dragon drones" broke cover and flicks of the Israel Defense Forces circulate online.
• Influencing the narrative pays dividends for militaries and governments.

Flashback: U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy in 2022 said drones are critical to waging information warfare.

• "An unmanned system, I can put into a place that I'm not going to put a manned system, with a different risk profile," he said at the time. "Also, it decreases the possibility of miscalculation."

What's next: Don't expect the crush of media to subside, even with stricter moderation policies.

Go deeper: SAIC's Knausenberger: Mind the "rise of asymmetrical, AI-augmented warfare"