Comparison of Social Media Platforms Used by the DoD

Social media is constantly changing. What is popular one year may be obsolete the next. A perfect example is Myspace, a pioneer in social media networks that surpassed Google as the most visited website in the United States in 2006 but lost its popularity in 2008.

Choosing the right platform for a social media strategy to convey the commander's intent can be difficult. Understanding the different platform categories, purpose, benefits and guidelines will help make that decision process more manageable.

Platform Categories

Although platforms constantly change, they all revolve around the following categories of information environments and can fit within multiple categories:

• Social audio platforms and formats, e.g., Clubhouse, Spotify, Twitter, Spaces
• Video social media platforms and formats, e.g., Facebook Watch, Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok, YouTube
• Disappearing content formats, e.g., Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, LinkedIn Stories, Snapchat
• Discussion forums, e.g., Quora, Reddit
• Shoppable social media platforms and features, e.g., Douyin, Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, Pinterest Product Pins, Shopify, Taobao, TikTok
• Social media live streams, e.g., Facebook Live, Instagram Live Rooms, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube
• Business social media platforms, e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter
• Closed/private community social media platforms, e.g., Discourse, Facebook Groups, Slack
• Inspirational social media platforms, e.g., blogs, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube

DoD Used Social Media Platforms
 

Comparison of DoD Used Social Media Platforms

PLATFORM	PROS	CONS	GUIDELINES
Facebook
Social network used to connect with people through entertainment, inspiration and information	Largest user base Followers are likely to become fans and support a brand they favor Used as a medium to receive regular updates and share personal experiences Content is in a format that people can identify and empathize with Live stream feature enables real-time and more personal communications Organic publishing tools that, via Creator Studio, are the best among platforms Facebook Stories feature allows users to share content that disappears after 24 hours	Limited organic reach due to algorithms Carefully curate content to reach people Facebook Stories is in direct competition with Snapchat, Twitter and Threads	Keep posts short – under 200 characters Include emotive visuals (i.e., image, video) for high engagement and traction Keep in mind the changes to aspect ratio of visuals Keep videos under one minute Limit the number of posts to under five daily Drive more traffic by sharing content from other sources, being sure to tag commands and their pages Avoid click and engagement bait such as click-through comments that include lines like, "Like this post...," "Share this...," or "Tag friends..." Link to any outlets that are referenced and include a visual
Flickr
Media sharing network to share and story photos, videos and other media	Free photo storage Streamlined records management Strongly committed user base that engages in comments/thread discussions on niche photography topics (landscape, news, analog, etc.)	Shrinking user base	Post high-quality images and be selective Include 5Ws (who, what, where, why, when) in captions Provide keywords to help users find photos in searches
Instagram
Media-sharing network used to entertain people visually by sharing photos, videos and other media	High organic reach potential Users are likely to log in daily Brand engagement is higher than that of Facebook and Twitter Instagram Stories encourages more engagement with the brand in real-time	Harder to drive traffic off the platform; links can't exist in the post and only within the profile Instagram Stories are in direct competition with TikTok and YouTube Shorts	Include three to five hashtags per post Photos receive more engagement than videos Post more photos than videos for better engagement with followers. Use Instagram Stories to share photos and videos that disappear from your profile after 24 hours to enhance engagement further Use the reel tool to create 15-second long videos to share in stories Add effects and stickers to increase engagement
LinkedIn
Business-emphasized social network used to connect professionals with other professionals	A platform for professionals and thought leaders Emphasizes career-related networking Provides a framework to conduct virtual events Easy to drive traffic off the platform with external links Content is easier to plan because it has the longest lifespan	The average age of users is 30-39 years old Less return on investment (ROI) due to its smaller user base (930 million users)	Create posts of varying lengths and incorporate article links, images and short videos Use hashtags to reach new audiences and industries Be consistent with posting (LinkedIn posts' long lifespan means it needs a more consistent approach than a "round the clock" publishing schedule)
Pinterest
Social bookmarking website that allows users to network, discover, save and share internet bookmarks and links	Long-term engagement with users High driver for traffic off the platform through links Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can increase as the post's popularity can affect the search ranking of the linked website within the post	Smaller user base Reputation of being overrun with content focused on makeup and food Bombarded with spam and other affiliated shopping links	Target the proper audience for each board Ensure uploaded visuals are specific and effective
Reddit
Discussion forum to share and vote on news and ideas	Good for message/content exposure and circulation Effective when used as a conduit for collecting feedback and product customer service support	Extremely skeptical fan base High amount of potential negative feedback Supports anonymity, lack of accountability in shared information Requires a high level of effort in monitoring and responses Misinformation and disinformation are shared frequently	Use a common and simple naming convention Monitor to make sure the images and content are high quality Individual units must be media savvy and think critically about the information shared
Snapchat
Media-sharing network used to entertain and connect people visually by sharing moments through photos, videos and other media	Young user base Includes several features to enhance engagement with posts (e.g., filters, doodles, overlays, geofilters) Followers can subscribe to receive notifications each time there’s a new post Users can quickly become brand ambassadors by snapping with products Creates connections through a single story by collecting all snaps around a single event for all users	Content is fleeting, making it hard to gain a following Difficult to properly archive content Lack of analytics	Keep content length short; videos are 10 seconds long Does not retain records (a record of content must be stored elsewhere)
X (formerly known as Twitter)
Social network used to connect with people for immediate news and updates on a particular subject (e.g., news, technology, celebrity); platform is currently going through a rebrand	Easy to use Able to quickly locate niche content Easy to directly connect with the media Integrated with Google search as an “update” stream for more traction Effective for content that is for immediate, newsworthy release Robust set of publishing tools via Media Studio, including live streaming, live-cut, organic CMS and cross-posting features Access to robust and insightful data, organically and via third-party APIs, for more agile, flexible and comprehensive agreements Access Analytics for a dashboard that tracks the performance of the account	Growth has slowed A page must be very active to be effective Limited character count Disinformation and misinformation levels are on the rise Spam and clickbait can be difficult to discern Poor moderation can expose the user to harassment and cyberbullying Bad actors and adversaries are creating fake accounts and posing as established online presences (EOPs) Lack of stable leadership has thwarted responsible growth Users now have to pay monthly for a Blue subscription service to gain a blue checkmark, whereas they used to be free and based on followership Meta recently introduced the competitor, Threads, which has slowed web traffic	Keep to 280 characters max Tweet often, but don’t spam Schedule tweets to spread throughout the day Retweet to reach different time crowds, but avoid verbatim tweets Use dynamic visuals for more engagement and traction Use three to five hashtags per tweet Sound on videos should be optional
YouTube
Media-sharing network where more than 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute	Large user base High user growth potential User sessions are long and can last more than 40 minutes YouTube Stories feature allows users to post short videos at a maximum length of 60 seconds	Hard to rank for search keywords Content creation is a significant time commitment YouTube Shorts are in direct competition with IG Reels and TikTok	1-3 minute videos are optimal Link and embed on other platforms for more views Include 5Ws in the description for better searchability YouTube's algorithm prioritizes relevance, engagement, quality, user search and watch history

Other DOD Guidelines

Regardless of the platform used, remember to follow these additional DoD guidelines:

• Ensure social media operators have completed their service/unit’s requisite Operations Security (OPSEC) training and follow existing ethics regulations, OPSEC and privacy.
• Never post classified or sensitive information. This can put military members and their families in danger.
• Document and report any impostor, unofficial or parody accounts to the host platform.
• Due to cybersecurity and other potential risks, the federal government banned social media platforms TikTok and Discord from ALL government devices. It is a best practice to avoid foreign-owned social media platforms because of data privacy and leakage risks.
• You can request to add a new social media platform to the list of approved platforms through the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) DoD Application Vetting Environment. Social media managers are NOT authorized to test or use new platforms until the receive DISA approval.

Essential Links

Use these links to further enhance your education on social media management within the federal government:

• DoDI 5400.17 Official Use of Social Media for Public Affairs Purposes
• DoDI 8170.01 Online Information Management and Electronic Messaging
• Bulletin 2014-02 Managing Social Media Records
• Section 508 Social Media Policies
• Security, Accuracy, Propriety and Policy (SAPP)
• Terms of Use Statements
• Transition and Archiving of Social Media Accounts
• U.S. Digital Registry

References

Wong, L. (2021, September 2). 9 Types of Social Media and How Each Can Benefit Your Business. Hootsuite.