Is there something wrong with the way social media has affected the military service?

Social media is actually anything but... we have lost some of our interpersonal communication skills. And nothing is private anymore... the what happens in (Vegas, Deployment, etc.) no longer applies as it is plastered for all to see. So to it has an adverse affect on the military. People post stuff and it gets shared, eventually the 'wrong' someone sees it. Or things that don't need to be shown such as anti-military rally or other such events gets plastered while soldiers are down range. They get to see what the real world is doing while they are serving... The list goes on... Social media is a great tool to influence and control the thought processes as most people won't take the time to research.

My biggest issue with social media in the military is because these generations grew up with this stuff, it's almost too difficult for them to turn it off. Personally, I always took the social media briefs seriously. Watch what you say. Be careful who can see your stuff etc etc.

The only negative impact I think it has on leadership is no one wants their dirty laundry hung out to dry. Even worse is when you discover it by one of your higher-ups.

Regarding morale, I can see how it can have a negative impact on morale, primarily because of the punishments involved. For example, one of my friends got a Page 11 actually mailed to him because of his online activity. He's been out of the Marine Corps for a year but he's got someone monitoring his online activity.

I think the problems of social media society wide, are present with service members but the collision course with disaster is more pronounced in uniform. The absence of any restraint, social convention, or common sense has more consequences for the military. If you can think it, you can post it is fundamentally bad for the military. Then you have the contacts without context or connection. It isolates already isolated people.