War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity and the Crises at Our Fingertips

Thanks to smartphones, war is everywhere, all the time. Anyone can view, analyse and comment on photos, videos or other warzone media. Where did this technology come from? And what does it mean for the future of war?

This book explains why you see what you do on your phone, and how these devices shape our knowledge, conduct and representation of war in the 2020s. It shows why smartphones are indispensable in peace and wartime: every device is a potential weapon, lines blur between war and daily life, and conflict becomes a shared digital experience. Social media platforms displace state-controlled narratives, amplifying violence and shaping war’s legitimacy. Apps democratise conflict, enabling anyone to identify and attack perceived enemies. As the Ukraine war has shown, this new reality involves complex, unevenly distributed infrastructures, merging civilian communication with military targeting.

With war accelerating beyond our comprehension, militaries have raced to benefit from and adapt to the smartphone age. Matthew Ford explores critical questions about today’s hyper-connected battlefield.

Matthew Ford is Associate Professor in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University. The author of Weapon of Choice and co-author of Radical War, both published by Oxford University Press. He was the founding editor of the British Journal for Military History. His research focuses on technology and the conduct of war.