What are Content Weapons?
Content Weapons are intentionally engineered messages or payloads (text, images, sounds or videos) using a digital delivery system aimed at a location or group of a given mindset, with the express purpose of a targeted action, impression, behavior or response. Not to be confused with “Computational propaganda” as Content Weapons are not limited to the political arena or social media technologies specifically. Content Weapons are neither predominantly positive or negative, but the intention determines the connotation. This is based on specific verbiage, imagery or sounds contained therein (Engineered Content), delivered digitally (Through single or a multiple of devices, platforms or content channels) at a definitive target (mentality or location). This is a set of actions that has a range of intentions encompassing a casting of negative points of view to stirring up latent hostilities and everything in between.
An example could be twitter or Facebook Messenger bots tweeting and sharing a crafted meme (Painting a democrat or republican opponent in a negative light), message or video aimed at swing voters or those with mostly middle of the road ideologies and only in key districts surrounding Houston Texas in the United States for the purpose of division and agitation. In essence Content Weapons are made up of 3 fundamental components, 1) Engineered message. 2) Digital Delivery system. 3) Aimed at a definitive Geo location and/or a collective with an identified ethos. These are key in the separation of Content Weapons from the generally understood methods of propaganda or advertising as these remain general use terms and Content Weapons are comprised of a very specific set of criteria. As this evolution of information access via connected devices presents an entirely new set of challenges from both an offensive initiative as well as defensive protection and containment strategy perspective.
Description
Content Weapons is a term coined by J. Michael Stattelman in his book of the same title [1] and derived from a multidisciplinary combination of studies and practices ranging from information warfare, psychological warfare, Cognitive science, Marketing and platform weaponization involving the use of various forms of content and technologies with the intention of narrative capture or the intended manipulation of a collective for other than commercial reasons. Delivery sub-systems of Content Weapons range from Articles, Blog posts, Videos, Whitepapers, Online Courses, Webinars, Images, Memes and even hashtags. The delivery systems at the primary level encompass the myriad of communication technologies currently available to carry these messages. The intent and methodologies are very well known and already adopted by the general public however, the collection of the 3 fundamentals necessitates the moniker of content weapons when the intent is perceptually harmful to any group or individual and not of an advertising origin. This is asymmetric warfare in the modern age. Currently, access to and deployment of the technologies and methods for delivery are not limited to state actors or well-funded entities. With the proliferation of digital media outlets and platforms or technologies like social media combined with local, national and international influencers across a variety of channels. The potential of bots or automated agents interaction with platforms containing geofencing capabilities for targeting, the range is limitless and the costs of deployment are substantially reduced when compared to standard physical forms from previous eras. These payloads can cross borders, cultures and languages in a matter of minutes, basically travelling and striking with button clicks, likes, texts, chats, retweets or shares. These are beyond simple marketing efforts gone awry or stunts that have become a public health hazards (See Tide Pod challenge). These are calculated messages, imagery or symbols generated and paired with a given forms of media and target audiences that have been assigned a high probability for distribution and effect.
Content Weapons are specific messages carried by communication tools and technologies taken to advanced levels with intentions other than consumerism. The agents behind this digital ordinance leveraged verbiage, images, sound and video to trigger behaviors and emotions with surgical precision in service of their own agendas most often unbeknown to the recipients. Every aspect of every angle is open for exploitation. Color, Sentiment, Tone, Frequency and Beats per minute. All things verbal and non-verbal, everything read, heard and seen. Metacommunication, Color Theory, Cognitive semiotics, Meta Messaging, Paralanguage, Gestures and Personal lexicon are all fields of research that have been brought to bear at ascending stages of impact at varied orders and levels on the minds of those to which they are directed. These are the new digital bullets, bombs and explosives of the modern era warfare.
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https://www.amazon.com/Content-Weapons-Strategies-Domination-Attention-ebook/dp/B07TD7D7D4/
