news stream

2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine

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1. Autocracy in our media streams

The global media ecosystem is a complex system of interconnected streams where a combination of print, broadcast, digital and social media content is exchanged, forming a self-referrential information environment. Everything from goverment agencies, academics and universities, to corporations and independent filmmakers, our species relies on the ecosystem to transfer all forms of information.

Wikipedia desc.

︎Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the implicit threat of coup d'état or other forms of rebellion).[1]

Authority is constructed and contextual.

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(Ex. Article 1) (Counterpoint}

This absolute power gives the autocrat total control of everyday information channels. Autocrats seek to influence information sources up and down our media streams. Often sources that are furthest upstream are targeted, with the strategic goal of maximizing downstream influence across the entire media ecosystem. These upstream sources may reside in our own national security community or other governmental institutions.

Information has value.

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(Article 1)

In earlier times, the term autocrat was coined as a favorable description of a ruler, having some connection to the concept of "lack of conflicts of interests" as well as an indication of grandeur and power. This use of the term continued into modern times, as the Russian Emperor was styled "Autocrat of all the Russias" as late as the early 20th century. In the 19th century, Eastern and Central Europe were under autocratic monarchies within the territories of which lived diverse peoples.

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Downstream effects

From the furthest upstream sources, autocrats can effect the entirety of our media streams. The breadth and nature of this influence is controlled by a single person. The technology of our media streams often outpace the limits of our comprehension, leaving us vulnerable to misinformation and other deceptive methods of control.

Information creation as a process.

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(Article 1)

Hearts + Minds

Autocracy requires the absolute control of information channels within its domain. With this control, the full spectrums of human emotion and cognitive reasoning can be exploited to maximum extent. Autocracy may employ methods of psychological warfare against its own citizens or externally against it’s enemies, without distinction.

The CRAAP Test

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(Ex. Disinformation 1) (Factual Counterpoint}