How can social media become a battlefield? This series of videos from Niall Ferguson’s Networld looks at the fight against terrorist networks in Iraq, attempts by the Russians to divide Americans through social media, and shows how our democracies are under threat from outside forces that seek to weaponize the social networks that we invented. Ferguson warns of a coming “networld war” that the West may not win. Support materials ask students to think about how something goes viral and how propaganda can influence and divide us as a nation.

Niall Ferguson’s Networld is based on Ferguson’s bestselling book The Square and the Tower. Ferguson visits network theorists, social scientists, and data analysts to explore the history of social networks. Ferguson explores the intersection of social media, technology, and the spread of cultural movements, demonstrating how human behavior, disruptive technology, and profit can energize ideas and communication, ultimately changing the world.