Militarization of Information in Current Conflicts

Abstract

Abstract The information technologies used in the contemporary conflicts and the overall availability of social nets generate a number of usable information for their actors. This information environment breeds the chance of conducting the sophisticated and targeted operation of disinformation and effective impact on the actors involved as well as regional or global ones. While the information and propaganda dimension is not a completely new phenomenon, technological development has greatly strengthened its importance in the contemporary world. The development of modern media and communication tools in the 20th century have significantly influenced the very limited means of providing the information to society while the development of the Internet has made far more effective targeting of information on selected social groups than at any time in the past. The phenomenon of information warfare is therefore becoming increasingly frequent, and it is also possible to talk about the new character that conflicts gain through the information dimension. The paper tries to characterize and analyze the importance of the information environment in the current conflicts. Attention is focused on existing and new forms of propaganda, strategic communication and information operations on the social network.