Papers by Øyvind Johnsen Liberg
The study of propaganda has been an ongoing topic well over a century, and in a modern context mu... more The study of propaganda has been an ongoing topic well over a century, and in a modern context much of propaganda has moved online and with that some dynamics of how it functions have changed. This thesis studies the existing literature on propaganda, primarily the propaganda concept as developed by Jacques Ellul, and to use that to as a framework while modernizing it to the realities of the digital space.
After which I go through 5 reports on hostile influence operations, particularly targeting elections within the United States, and to use a document analysis method to extract the relevant information and explain how Russian intelligence services structure their influencing operations and why they are structured as they are.
While studying the theoretical framework of Ellul I found that it still provides a solid base for understanding influence operations, however some modernization was required. Particularly in the nature of group behavior online, which is different from more traditional familial group behavior. Ellul’s focus on the academic had to be abandoned as, within the digital space, all participants have the same vulnerability that was previously mainly present within academics. The main change however was about the individual’s participation in their own propagandization, notably caused by the discovery that many individuals will be naturally drawn towards propaganda through a psychological need to hear negative information.
Through the document analysis of the reports I found that Russian intelligence services largely follow the propaganda structure as explained by Ellul, with the expected changes according to the modernized concept of propaganda. The focus on modern influence operations appears to be focused on actionability, causing specific behavior and creating people who, with the right impetus, will react in specific predictable ways.
The theoretical findings provide some concerning implications about people and group’s potential for self-radicalization, even without dedicated efforts by a hostile entity.
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Papers by Øyvind Johnsen Liberg
After which I go through 5 reports on hostile influence operations, particularly targeting elections within the United States, and to use a document analysis method to extract the relevant information and explain how Russian intelligence services structure their influencing operations and why they are structured as they are.
While studying the theoretical framework of Ellul I found that it still provides a solid base for understanding influence operations, however some modernization was required. Particularly in the nature of group behavior online, which is different from more traditional familial group behavior. Ellul’s focus on the academic had to be abandoned as, within the digital space, all participants have the same vulnerability that was previously mainly present within academics. The main change however was about the individual’s participation in their own propagandization, notably caused by the discovery that many individuals will be naturally drawn towards propaganda through a psychological need to hear negative information.
Through the document analysis of the reports I found that Russian intelligence services largely follow the propaganda structure as explained by Ellul, with the expected changes according to the modernized concept of propaganda. The focus on modern influence operations appears to be focused on actionability, causing specific behavior and creating people who, with the right impetus, will react in specific predictable ways.
The theoretical findings provide some concerning implications about people and group’s potential for self-radicalization, even without dedicated efforts by a hostile entity.
After which I go through 5 reports on hostile influence operations, particularly targeting elections within the United States, and to use a document analysis method to extract the relevant information and explain how Russian intelligence services structure their influencing operations and why they are structured as they are.
While studying the theoretical framework of Ellul I found that it still provides a solid base for understanding influence operations, however some modernization was required. Particularly in the nature of group behavior online, which is different from more traditional familial group behavior. Ellul’s focus on the academic had to be abandoned as, within the digital space, all participants have the same vulnerability that was previously mainly present within academics. The main change however was about the individual’s participation in their own propagandization, notably caused by the discovery that many individuals will be naturally drawn towards propaganda through a psychological need to hear negative information.
Through the document analysis of the reports I found that Russian intelligence services largely follow the propaganda structure as explained by Ellul, with the expected changes according to the modernized concept of propaganda. The focus on modern influence operations appears to be focused on actionability, causing specific behavior and creating people who, with the right impetus, will react in specific predictable ways.
The theoretical findings provide some concerning implications about people and group’s potential for self-radicalization, even without dedicated efforts by a hostile entity.