Social media usage within the U.S. military presents multiple challenges to commands striving to develop the next generation of military leaders for defense in a multi-domain world. While some service members utilize social media to connect with friends and family, research helpful information, and follow brands and organizations they support, there’s another side to social media usage in uniform - online misconduct. Concerning patterns of inappropriate use of social media to engage in cyberbullying, promotion of hate speech, sexual harassment, the spread of mis/disinformation, and to issue threats of acts of violence have been observed at several military installations across the United States.

One of the key platforms for such online misconduct across the force is Jodel - an anonymous, hyperlocal social media platform. The recent Military.com article, DoD review calls for reforms after sexual assault spike at academies, discussed the Secretary of Defense-ordered on-site evaluations of the service academies and subsequent report that pointed to current usage of Jodel as contributing to misconduct and academy culture related to sexual assault. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense's 90-Day Independent Review Commission (IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military Report outlined that the DoD must "fully execute on the principle that addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault in the 21st century requires engaging with the cyber domain." While social media may alter the attack surface, the values and commitment to acceptable conduct across the ranks should remain true to the ethos of the U.S. military.

What is Jodel?

Founded in 2014, Jodel is a German-based anonymous, hyperlocal social media app that sees concentrated usage in the United States within distinct subsets of the military population. The hyperlocal features of Jodel are geography-based - a distinguishing feature that (in theory) facilitates a stronger connection to the people in physical proximity to the user. Internationally, the app has enjoyed steady growth, supported by the infusion of global investors, including Chinese group Netease and Adam d’Angelo, the founder of Quora and former CTO of Facebook. Jodel reports its highest market concentration being in Europe and promising growth in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region; however, in the United States, Jodel has permeated a very unique user demographic - students at federal service academies and senior military colleges.

Jodel at the Military Academies and Colleges

In 2020, a MITRE Corporation study of social media usage at the United States Military Academy (USMA) revealed that cadets ranked Jodel as one of their top five social media apps. The final report stated that Jodel served “the specific needs of cadets seeking an outlet to express opinions that are not in line with the values and attitudes of military culture.” Due to the assumed anonymous nature of Jodel, this app has evolved into fertile ground for instances of cyberbullying, harassment, and unprofessional conduct. Jodel users routinely post bigoted content targetting specific demographics of students, such as women and minorities, at the school. Examples of cyber harassment observed in Jodel communities associated with service academies and military colleges include antisemitic, ageist, homophobic, racist, sexist, and xenophobic posts. The seemingly anonymous platform appears to have empowered such hate speech across these military-affiliated user bases, allowing users who harbor such concerning views to viciously attack others with little to no accountability for their actions.

Military.com reported that Jodel content observed at the military academies frequently includes “inaccurate information”, also known as mis/disinformation, about sexual assault response and resources. This type of misleading content can have far-reaching impacts on the organization’s culture, force, and mission. Unfortunately, due to the anonymous feature of the app, Jodel users who post such disturbing content do so without facing any accountability for their actions. Another particularly concerning Jodel theme at military academies is the posting of suicidal ideation and threats of self-harm. These posts are often mocked by other Jodel users, some of whom encourage the “Original Jodeler” (author of the post) to take action towards ending their lives. Cyber harassment within these communities has transformed into a spectator-driven, gladiator-esque phenomenon, carrying the potential for dire consequences.

Has Jodel Usage Spread Throughout the U.S. Military?

Our cyber team at Becker Digital has been researching social media usage across the U.S. military populations for several years, and has observed concerning patterns related to Jodel usage among service members. As so often happens with social media trends, the effects of such unethical and irresponsible digital engagement have “rippled” throughout aspects of the organization. Today, Jodel-based online misconduct is observable at multiple U.S. military installations and training centers - concentrated primarily at bases that receive high levels of academy graduates. Did a lack of effective intervention and accountability for online misconduct at the service academies' normalize this type of online behavior across our military populations?

When left unaddressed, cyber harassment and online misconduct can have far-reaching and long-lasting negative impacts, including:

Damage to organizational culture
Negative impacts on recruitment and retention
A decline in organizational morale
Spread of harmful mis/disinformation
Negative publicity for the organization
A diminished sense of belonging, inclusion, and safety
Loss of trust in organizational leadership
Reputation damage to established organizations
Undermines authority, good order, and discipline

There’s a familiar theme evident throughout military-connected Jodel communities - a seemingly endless slew of harassing online content, often viciously targeting individuals or groups of historically marginalized people. Jodel isn’t the first social media platform that’s seen high engagement by service members for online misconduct (Discord, anyone?), and it likely won’t be the last. Social media is here to stay, and its impacts on our fighting force will likely extend well beyond the digital half-life of a Jodel post that contains a threat of sexual assault. The potential long-term effects on force, readiness, and recruitment/retention, should be considered when evaluating the ongoing challenge of social media usage and online misconduct within the U.S. Military. Effective solutions do exist to combat these modern, multi-domain challenges.

Solutions: Jodel and Online Misconduct Support

As a veteran-owned and operated company, Becker Digital is highly concerned with current cyber harassment and online misconduct trends observed and reported across multiple U.S. military academies and installations. Our team of military-connected consultants has pioneered a highly effective, people-first, digitally-informed approach to effectively counter the negative impacts of Jodel and related social media platforms on military force, mission, and readiness. We have a proven track record of providing response and prevention strategies for military organizations facing social medial-related challenges, including Jodel and other anonymous, hyperlocal apps. Together, we can address the ongoing misconduct challenges currently plaguing our modern warfighter community.

For additional information:

If your organization would like to discuss social media-related challenges and opportunities, Becker Digital is an available source of support. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about how social media response strategy and training can enhance your organization’s mission.

Becker Digital is proud to be a CVE-verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

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