Social media has become one of the primary modes of communication throughout the world, especially in developed countries. Nearly every user of social media in its various forms or applications has an audience he or she can influence and a set of influencers from which he or she receives information. U.S. Psychological Operations (PSYOP) personnel focus on influencing foreign target audiences in their audience’s own language but have been slow to adapt to the use of social media as a means of influence. Drawing from principles used in influencer marketing, we ask, How can U.S. PSYOP forces and their partners best identify social media influencers with whom they can partner in their effort to change the behavior of foreign target audiences? Through this study, we identified the main factors for influence on social media using both quantitative and qualitative analysis and developed a decision-making tool to identify the key communicators, in particular social media influencers, who can elicit the desired behavioral change in a target audience. The seven-category influencer scorecard we created provides a low-tech, situationally adaptable method for identifying influencers with whom U.S. PSYOP can partner to execute a PSYOP series.Major, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited
