Conclusion The weaponization of social media is a highly disruptive set of socio-technological phenomena that cut across various domains of knowledge. The act of producing this assessment was itself a highly interdisciplinary endeavor, drawing upon people and knowledge from diverse academic, practitioner and policy domains. The complexity of related themes, both for understanding the nature of problems and configuring response, is compounded by heterogeneity in how these issues surface at varying levels, from headquarters to the field (i.e. community, operational and programmatic, strategic and coordination, and legal/regulatory and policy). Perspectives, questions, dependencies and entry points abound at each. The disruptive nature of weaponization has significant implications for how organizations respond. On a macro level, the novelty and influence of these phenomena exposes new players, as well as various inabilities and mismatches in the network of rules and organizations that we would traditionally rely upon to respond to these risks. In this space, tech companies have emerged as entities with much influence, for example, but have not been regulated (or do not self-regulate) commensurate with the scale of harm that their platforms can generate. Governments and institutions of media find themselves struggling to keep pace with the speed at which these technologies evolve. Civil society organizations working with affected populations must consider new partnerships, employees, programs and funding sources to respond effectively. This assessment has presented a cycle of different response categories, means by which organizations can determine the relevance of these phenomena to their organization, and some preliminary findings about the organizational and programmatic needs for effective response. While further research and testing are needed to advance work in this space, the risks and opportunities that the weaponization of social media presents create an urgent need for collective critical analysis and creative solutions for promoting online and offline peace. MERCY CORPS The Weaponization of Social Media: How social media can spark violence and what can be done about it 29