Techniques of Online Propaganda: A Case Study of Western Sahara Conflict

Abstract

The role of the Internet in the proliferation of propaganda during conflicts has growingly assumed an increasing importance to those aiming at garnering public support for a political conflict. With a ceasefire brokered in 1991 by the United Nations, the conflict of Western Sahara shifted from the battles on the ground to a frenzy war in the mass media. The Internet has hitherto served as a significant new resource for politicians, media managers and propagandists from both conflicting sides to engender propaganda in its different forms. Both Morocco and the Polisario have been active in this respect, utilizing propaganda strategies and techniques to manipulate the war of information on the Net. In the literature about propaganda, it is common to refer to the seven propaganda techniques defined by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA) founded in 1937: card stacking, name-calling, glittering generality, transfer, testimonial, plain folks, and bandwagon. Using the case of Western Sahara conflict, the goal of this study is to gain insight into those seven techniques in online propaganda messages. The focus is put on the propaganda campaign launched on the Internet by Morocco and the Polisario on many occasions during the conflict.