Did you ever think about the current social disruption of democratic societies? Ever wonder about disinformation, misinformation, or digital subversion? Over the years, social media chats on the topic seem to use those terms interchangeably.
The digital content I have seen offers context to this interchangeable word-fest. They point to disinformation, which is by far the most aggressive and calculating. Another aspect is education and awareness, which in democracies has been retrospective and hap-hazard in many cases.
Digital Subversion Origins
The origins of digital subversion, dates back to the cold-war, and a shelved KGB project. Now, its upgrade is a layer of Russia’s (and like-minded partners) full spectrum of warfare doctrine. In 2013, the United Arab Emirates perfected a version 2 over digital means with its first successful implementation in Egypt.
It was this international debut of digital subversion, where digital actions first affected the physical world of democracies. Digital subversion refers to activities aimed at undermining, weakening or disrupting digital systems in a target group. The goal is to affect the stability, security, or operation of a group, country, or even a region.
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The same process can also target individuals, where there is a strategic motive for investing in a direct campaign. Regardless of the scale, common tools deployed in the digital information environment are disinformation, and at scale, misinformation.
Digital Subversion is not just Disinformation
Disinformation is false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as in the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. We know that if a bad-actor deploys disinformation into a target group or society, you can eventually accept it as truth. What once sounded draft becomes truth by repetitious receipt of the same message.
This is where social media platforms, especially ones that allow bots, become the perfect deployment vehicle. The scaled aspect of this threat lies in its background orchestration. The coordination can include many disinformation and misinformation campaigns, which are all set to achieve pre-defined outcomes.
The digital subversion campaign can also nest into a hybrid warfare campaign. There, it can interface with foreign agents, and those domestically under the influence or employ of these campaigns.
In scaled campaigns, this is where misinformation can become effectively weaponized. Misinformation in of itself is not a threat. It’s just someone presenting incorrect information that lacks content accuracy or contextual correctness. It is false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.
Scaled Digital Subversion and Misinformation
Picture seeing a social media post with a video or image of children running screaming in the street, wounded and terrified. Then see the text part, where a warring faction is to blame. The text used is engaging, inflammatory, and triggers instant anger and/or fear.
Later that day, and out with friends for a social occasion; you hear a passionate condemnation of that same warring faction. The two events in this example are not relatable. One is a deep fake image or video posted by supporters of the opposing faction. It could also be someone operating outside the confines of a digital subversion campaign.
The other is an actual conversation with friends, where your friend did not see the same social media post, but has a factual basis for their judgement. The result makes the evening’s conversation misinformation in your case, but not in your friend’s case.
Convinced of its truth, you may subsequently post on social media and also physically share your opinion with other friends and associates. When you do, you will be unwittingly spreading misinformation in your digital and physical information environments.
Our Digital Resistance Begins
As an individual, it’s ok to get things wrong, and we all make mistakes. When we do, most seek to correct our behavior when discovery happens. However, with orchestrated digital subversion campaigns, and in more aggressive hybrid warfare campaigns, it is different because of the aggregation effect.
In these campaigns, echoes of falsehood push aggressively as they turn social issues into social levers, friends into foe, and truth into lie. When they do, they resurrect a new reality where lies become truth as we become gaslighted by well-crafted and weaponized false narratives.
Surrogates, the aware and the unaware, are all involved as nobody escapes attention. Despite what many think, there is an answer, and that starts with individual determination to be information resilient. Not accepting the fabrication of pushy and aggressive ‘facts’ as truth is where we will make our stand.
In this hostile world, willful ignorance is no longer a luxury we can afford. Hostile nations like Russia have ensured that our blissful sleep in our democracies is now a call to action. In our individual efforts and response, our children’s children will thank us for the stand we made against this new form of mental slavery, and what was to follow afterwards.
About the Author
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
