Strategies of Cognitive Warfare via Social Media and Their Implications for Internal Stability

A Field Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to identify the role of cognitive warfare, which is considered a form of non-traditional conflict, and to reveal how social media platforms are used to shape public perception and reshape public attitudes, as well as to identify the most prominent digital tools employed in this context, such as voice dubbing, deepfakes, echo chambers, emotional appeals, and guided trends. The study also seeks to measure the extent to which social media users in Iraq are exposed to the content of cognitive warfare and how this affects their perceptions of the concept of internal stability and manifestations of social characteristics.
Methodology: The researcher employed a descriptive approach using a field survey method, administering a questionnaire to a sample of social media users in Iraq, with the aim of collecting and analyzing data relevant to the study’s topic, and to identify the nature of the relationship between their exposure to information warfare content and their perceptions of internal stability, the level of social security, and trust in institutions.
Results: The results of the analysis revealed a clear correlation between the level of exposure to targeted content related to cognitive warfare and its impact on perceptions of stability, social security, and trust in institutions. The results also showed that this impact may occur indirectly through other practices and methods, particularly through new tools such as emotional rhetoric and targeted activist content. The impact of this content may extend to individuals’ perceptions and behavior, as well as its repercussions on society, which may contribute to reshaping societal norms and deepening polarization and social division.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the cognitive warfare on social media poses a growing challenge to societal security due to its ability to shape collective perception and digitally reproduce fears and doubts, thereby highlighting the need for various national efforts focused on cognitive resilience, raising awareness among internet users, building their capacity to counter mechanisms of perception manipulation, and mitigating their effects.