‘Hello, world’: GCHQ, Twitter and social media engagement

Liam Mcloughlin, Stephen Ward, Daniel W.B Lomas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In May 2016, Britain’s signals intelligence agency the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) joined the social media platform Twitter to considerable press fanfare. But to date, no analysis has been undertaken regarding the use and outcomes of social media by the agency - once referred to as Britain's 'most secret'. This article posits that, while the use of social media has allowed the agency to reach out to a new tech-savvy generation, its presence on the platform can sometimes stoke and amplify conspiracy theories affecting issues such as brand identity as GCHQ adopts a new, media friendly approach.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)233-251
Number of pages19
JournalIntelligence and National Security
Volume35
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Feb 2020

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