Shilova V. A., Vedenin V. A. The image of the enemy in information wars in the context of Russia’s relations with Ukraine, Great Britain and the USA in 2019 (analysis of the content of political bloggers of the Twitter social network). Communications. Media. Design. 2022. Vol. 7. No. 4. Pp. 27-66.

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://cmd-journal.hse.ru/article/view/16324/15400 (дата обращения 21.11.2022)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the formation of images of the enemy in information-psychological wars, which is conducted by opposing forces using different strategies of propaganda and manipulation. The theoretical part of the work reveals the content of the concepts of information-psychological warfare, propaganda and manipulation technologies, the image of the enemy, the typology of enemies, the foundations and strategies for the formation of the image of the enemy. The authors focus on the technologies and practices of forming the “image of the enemy” of the adversary state among their audience by bloggers of the Twitter social network, with the aim of cohesive public response support for foreign state policy. An exploratory study in January-May 2019 analyzed 533 text messages and 65 photographic materials from the Twitter social network in the context of Russia's current (at that time) relations with Ukraine, the UK and the USA. The authors analyze the image of the enemy produced by the information actors of each of the conflict parties. The article describes the identified mechanisms of the image of the enemy formation in the media space of social networks, which makes it possible to characterize and compare certain forms of the enemy that each side of the information confrontation is trying to form.