Disrupting Perception, Shaping Conflict: Epistemic Power and Social Media Manipulation in Hybrid Digital Struggles

Abstract

The evolution of modern conflict has increasingly shifted toward the digital domain, where perception, rather than territory, has become the central battlefield. This article conceptualizes cyber-based information warfare as an asymmetric and multidimensional form of conflict wherein state and non-state actors use social media, algorithmic amplification, and narrative engineering to influence public opinion and destabilize rival regimes. Drawing upon the epistemic power framework (Foucault, Castells, Zuboff) and the symbolic violence theory of Bourdieu, this paper develops a theoretical model that explains how platform dynamics reshape public perception and conflict behavior. The study adopts a qualitative comparative approach, focusing on two major case studies: Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and the Armenia–Azerbaijan digital conflict surrounding the 2020 war and its aftermath. It examines how social media manipulation—through disinformation campaigns, troll factories, and algorithmic distortions—transformed both public discourse and geopolitical narratives. Empirically grounded and theoretically informed, the article addresses a key gap in political science literature by linking epistemic control to conflict escalation in hybrid digital struggles. It also evaluates the normative and legal implications of such practices, highlighting the urgent need for algorithmic transparency, media literacy, and updated regulatory frameworks. The findings suggest that contemporary information warfare is not merely a technical or operational threat but a strategic mode of exercising ideological power in the digital age. By situating information warfare at the intersection of technology, discourse, and geopolitics, this article contributes to an emerging research agenda on epistemic contestation and hybrid warfare in international relations.