They say that in a war the first thing to go is the truth. As contrite introductions to a post go this one seems quite fitting. Now, why might I trot out such a platitude? Well, Troop Tube is the reason. Back in May the American army banned YouTube as it presented both bandwidth and security issues. In its place the American army has developed Troop Tube which
helps military families connect and keep in touch while miles apart
No problems here, very social media approach to keep the troops happy, improving morale and ensuring little Timmy back home knows what his daddy looks like. Of course the real reason behind this, and part of the reason YouTube was banned was that Troop Tube videos are all screened by Pentagon employees for taste, copyright violations, and national security issues.
This is an interesting example of social media manipulation not unlike traditional propoganda (hence my contrite opening to this post). But equally this is a great tool to connect families held apart by service so i’m not sure whether to be cynical or faintly praise this initiative. Your thoughts as ever, are most welcome.
My only thought it this about the bandwidth rationale for banning youtube: it hardly inspires confidence, does it, to know that the US military communication array can be undermined by a couple of marines watching clips of sneezing pandas?