Social Media – Instrument of the Information Warfare. From Information to Influencing –
Social Media – Instrument of the Information Warfare. From Information to Influencing –

Summary/Abstract: Information is a very valuable weapon, it can help in manipulation and it can result in changing behaviours and actions. Information warfare in the cyber environment can be considered the most developed form of warfare, through which the goal is achieved without human loss and without bloodshed. While many studies and research have been conducted on the “weapons of attack” of this unconventional war, fake news and propaganda, since ancient times, less has been written about “weapons of defence” counteracting and combating their effects, and scientific studies and research are still far from finding the answer. In this article, we aim to analyse both the main weapon of attack: communication, as a method (technique, tactics) of transmitting fake news and propaganda and the main means of conducting information warfare, social media, by force (speed) of the dissemination of communication. We will make this analysis starting from the origin and characteristics of interpersonal communication and social networks, which we will identify in disciplines such as psychology, sociology, social psychology and anthropology and show how each of these areas contributes to shaping the lives of users of virtual social networks. They can thus be used in information warfare. In our approach, we start from the hypothesis that communication aims to influence, the social network broadens the communication environment and promotes influence, and the Internet makes the communication process take place at the mass level, amplifying the speed of dissemination, which further accentuates influencing and recommending social media as a tool in the information war. We also aim to analyse this process of modelling (influencing) from socio-psychological perspectives to highlight how propaganda and fake news in social media work and how they could be countered using simple principles of communication and psycho-sociology.

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