How one party is winning perception warfare

Old school perception warfare tools: PsyOps (psychological operations), black propaganda, human intelligence gathering and manipulation, influencing curriculum, limiting access to information, radio, television, leaflets, posters, films, and loudspeakers. Alas, perception warfare, aimed at influencing how people view an issue or event, is not what it used to be.

Pakistan has over 130 million internet users, making it the seventh-largest population of internet users in the world. This translates to an internet penetration rate of approximately 54 per cent of the total population.

New school perception warfare tools: YouTube, launched in 2005, has 72 million users in Pakistan. Yes, YouTube takes the top spot. WhatsApp, launched in 2009, has 70 million users. Facebook, launched in 2004, has 58 million users. TikTok, launched in 2016, has 18 million users, while Instagram, launched in 2010, has 16 million users.

Within Pakistan, neither the source nor the structure of ‘hard power’ has changed. Manpower, conventional equipment, nuclear capability, geographical location and experience in warfare remain constant. What has changed, since the launch of YouTube, are the armaments of the digital battlefield.

There is only one political party in Pakistan that has successfully weaponized social media to spread manipulated information and narratives as part of its perception warfare strategy. There is only one political party that is successfully exploiting ‘network effects’ and leveraging it by strategically crafting content that is designed to be emotionally charged and sensational. There is only one political party in Pakistan that is micro-targeting tailored messages to specific demographics and locations.

There is only one political party whose disinformation campaigns are constantly evolving, employing a variety of tactics to spread misleading or false information. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to create realistic-looking fake images, videos, and audio recordings. These can be especially deceptive because they can be made to look like they depict real events.

There is only one political party that is deploying bots, automated accounts that are being used to spread disinformation at scale. Bots are being used to amplify certain messages, create fake trends, and harass users who challenge the disinformation.

There is only one political party creating deep-fakes, AI-generated videos that are being used to make it look like someone is saying or doing something they never did. Deepfakes can be very convincing, and they can be used to damage someone’s reputation or sow discord.

There is only one political party using clickbait headlines designed to grab attention and get people to click on a link. They often use sensational language to spread disinformation by leading people to articles that contain false or misleading information.

There is only one political party whose disinformation campaigns are successfully exploiting people’s emotions, such as fear, anger, or outrage. This is being done by using inflammatory language or imagery, targeting people who are already feeling vulnerable or upset.

The battle for hearts and minds has shifted from PsyOps to the smartphone screen. Forget PsyOps -- the arsenals of today’s information warriors are filled with algorithms, relatable influencers, targeted messages, and expert emotional manipulation.

The goal -- shaping public perception -- remains constant. The tools of this news digital arms race have undergone a radical transformation. In the new digital combat zone, one political party in Pakistan has so far outmaneuvered all its rivals and managed to seize the high ground with devastating effectiveness.The objective -- shaping public perception -- remains constant. Make no mistake, the munitions of this new digital arms race have undergone a radical transformation. And in this warzone, one political party in Pakistan has demonstrably outmaneuvered its rivals, seizing the high ground with devastating effectiveness.There is only one political party that understands, for better or worse, that we now live in the age of social media, which defines our era. Remarkably, this party has managed to control the narrative by framing events and information to align with its desired perception.Fortunately for this party, none of its rivals seem to grasp that they cannot do without new instruments of war, and that social media platforms are now the primary conflict zone for perception warfare. In this new engagement area, patronage politics will not work, and neither will coercion.