HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE INFORMATIONAL COMPONENT OF HYBRID WARS: FROM BIBLICAL TEXTS TO SOCIAL-MEDIA ALGORITHMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32689/2523-4625-2025-2(78)-23Keywords:
information warfare, information-psychological operation, propaganda; narrative, collective memory, ritual, symbol, media, disinformationAbstract
The article presents a systemic analysis of how the informational dimension of armed conflict has evolved – from the rituals and symbols of prehistoric communities to the state-run propaganda systems of the twentieth century.Drawing on archaeological, biblical, classical, medieval and modern sources, it demonstrates that verbal formulae, sacred images, narrative frames and visual symbols have consistently served to mobilise one’s own forces and demoralise the enemy throughout the entire military history of humankind. For the first time in Ukrainian political- science discourse, the well-known biblical episode of Gideon’s night raid on the Midianite camp is interpreted as an early information-psychological operation. The study also examines the use of disinformation in famous accounts of the Trojan War and the mobilising rhetoric of Athenian democracy. It highlights the monumental self-representation of Roman victories, which created a lasting visual-informational landscape in the empire of Caesar and Augustus.Turning to Eastern warfare traditions, the article argues – through Sun Tzu’s enduring treatise The Art of War – that ancient China was the first to raise battlefield advantage to the level of managing interpretations, thereby laying the foundations of modern information strategy. Following the invention of printing, propaganda acquired the capacity for mass replication and rapid diffusion, as illustrated by the Reformation and early-modern revolutionary movements. Particular attention is paid to the rise of industrial media – poster art, cinema and radio – which turned information into a strategic resource during the First and Second World Wars. Analyses of democratic and totalitarian inter-war models of media control are complemented by a review of Cold-War information campaigns, where radio broadcasts, leaflets and television reports decisively shaped public opinion and combat morale on both sides. The author synthesises recurring influence tactics appeals to fear, authority and collective memory and demonstrates their persistence across epochs. The practical value of the study lies in providing a historical matrix that can serve as a foundation for further research on the informational component of contemporary warfare.
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