The Connotation, Features, and Mechanism of Computational Propaganda

Jin Yang

doi:10.14746/ssp.2021.2.4

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to identify the connotation, features of computational propaganda and reveal how computational propaganda uses new technologies to manipulate public opinion. The study’s hypothesis is the assumption that computational propaganda, as a new type of propaganda and manipulation of public opinion spawned in the era of artificial intelligence, stealthily and massively steers public opinion using new technologies to influence political and social processes. With the scientific methods such as event analysis and case-study, the work concludes that more and more governments, political parties, and strategic communication companies use social media as the digital platform, Internet bots as the automated executors, and algorithms as the computational technical guarantee, by participating in, guiding and creating controversial topics and events, to manipulate public opinion and win international competitions, policy debates, elections, etc.

Highlights

When massive and comprehensive information is combined with automatic and intelligent technology, what changes may this bring to the world?
Computational propaganda is the intersection of technology and politics on social media, big data, and artificial intelligence
The study’s hypothesis is the assumption that computational propaganda, as a new type of propaganda and manipulation of public opinion spawned in the era of artificial intelligence, stealthily and massively steers public opinion using new technologies to influence political and social processes

Summary

Introduction

Computational propaganda is the intersection of technology and politics on social media, big data, and artificial intelligence. The purpose of the work is to identify the connotation, features of computational propaganda and reveal how computational propaganda uses new technologies to manipulate public opinion. To achieve this purpose, the following tasks were solved in the study: 1) to identify the definition of computational social science and computational political science; 2) to identify the definition of computational propaganda; 3) to analyze the features of computational propaganda; 4) to find out the mechanism of computational propaganda. Computational propaganda is being used by an increasing number of countries and organizations, seriously disrupting the Internet information environment and threatening the stability of the domestic and international political situation

Computational social science and computational political science

The connotation and features of computational propaganda

The mechanism of computational propaganda

Findings

Conclusions