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Global Security in the Digital Age: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Social Media Warfare
Charles University – Faculty of Social Sciences Department of International Relations Winter Semester 2026/27 – 4 ECTS Seminar meetings: Biweekly on Wednesdays (October 7 – December 16, 2026), Course Lecturer: Dr. Kristián Földes (email: kristian.foldes@fsv.cuni.cz) Moodle link: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=6045 Course Description In the digital age, information has become both a weapon and a battlefield. This course examines how propaganda and disinformation campaigns affect global security, exploring the methods by which state and non-state actors exploit social media and other online platforms to influence populations and conduct what we can characterize as information warfare. We will together survey the historical evolution of propaganda and contrast it with contemporary disinformation tactics designed to mislead publics for political or strategic gain. Case studies – from election meddling and conspiracy theories to extremist recruitment and fake news about conflicts – will illustrate the real-world impact of false or manipulated information on societies and international stability. Recent events show that coordinated online falsehoods can stoke public fears and polarization, even shaping political discourse and policy outcomes. Through this course, students will critically assess how such social media warfare undermines democratic institutions, fuels conflict, and challenges traditional notions of security. By the end of the semester, participants will have a nuanced understanding of why “the truth” has become contested terrain in global politics, and how policymakers and societies are responding to the threat of pervasive disinformation. Poslední úprava: Földes Kristián, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.08.2026)
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Aims of the Course The course aims to provide an in-depth, critical engagement with the phenomena of propaganda and disinformation as contemporary security threats. It will introduce key theoretical frameworks for understanding how propaganda operates, from classical theories to modern “post-truth” analysis. Students will explore a range of thematic issues – including state-sponsored information warfare, extremist and terrorist propaganda, and the role of tech and social media companies – to appreciate the multifaceted nature of information security. The curriculum is structured to move from foundational concepts to specific applications: we begin with defining propaganda and disinformation and their impacts, then examine methodological tools and tactics employed by various actors and finally consider sectoral case studies (such as migration-related disinformation) and future challenges (e.g. deepfakes, AI-driven influence). Overall, the course is designed to challenge students intellectually by bridging theory and practice, encouraging them not only to grasp how propaganda and disinformation campaigns are waged, but also to reflect on why they are effective and what can be done to counter them. Poslední úprava: Földes Kristián, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.08.2026)
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Assessment and Grading Final course grades will be based on the following components. Students must complete all components to pass the course. The weighting of each component and expectations are as follows:
Poslední úprava: Földes Kristián, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.08.2026)
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Course Schedule and Seminar Topics
There will be six seminar meetings, held every two weeks. Seminars 1–5 are thematic sessions led by the instructor, and Seminar 6 is a guest lecture (topic to be announced). Each seminar has required readings that students must complete in advance, as well as recommended readings for deeper exploration.
Seminar 1 – October 7, 2026: Disinformation and Its Impact Overview: Introduction to the scope of the course and key terms. We define misinformation vs. disinformation, discuss why disinformation is deliberately created, and survey notable examples of its impact on global security (e.g. election interference, COVID-19 “infodemic,” wartime propaganda in Ukraine). We also consider the psychological and societal factors that make false information spread widely and sink in (confirmation bias, social influence, etc.). This session provides the conceptual foundation for understanding how and why disinformation works, and why it has significant implications for international peace and security.
Required Readings: • Wardle, Claire & Hossein Derakhshan (2017). Information Disorder: Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy Making. Council of Europe report. • Lazer, David et al. (2018). “The Science of Fake News.” Science, 359(6380): 1094–1096. • Broda, Elena & Jesper Strömbäck (2024). “Misinformation, Disinformation, and Fake News: Lessons from an Interdisciplinary Systematic Literature Review.”
Recommended Readings: • O’Connor, Cailin & James Owen Weatherall (2019). The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread. Yale University Press. – Selected chapters. • Ellul, Jacques (1965). Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes. Vintage Books. – Introduction. • 2. Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K. H., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the “Post-Truth” Era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 353–369.
Seminar 2 – October 21, 2026: Propaganda: Methods and Consequences
Overview: This session delves into propaganda as both a historical phenomenon and a contemporary tool of statecraft. We examine common propaganda methods (e.g. the use of symbols, slogans, staged events, misleading statistics or images) and how they have been adapted in the digital era. Discussions will cover case studies of state-sponsored propaganda campaigns – for instance, Russian “active measures” and influence operations during the Cold War and today, Chinese information management and censorship, as well as Western examples of propaganda (including wartime propaganda and political spin in democracies). We will analyse the consequences of sustained propaganda: how it can manufacture consent, alter public perception, erode trust in institutions, or fuel conflict. Students should consider ethical questions (what distinguishes propaganda from persuasion or public diplomacy?) and the fine line between national strategic communication and malign disinformation.
Required Readings: • Rid, Thomas (2020). Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. – Chapters 12–14. • Paul, C., & Matthews, M. (2016). The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model: Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It. RAND Corporation. • Herman, Edward & Noam Chomsky (1988). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Pantheon. – Chapter 1: “A Propaganda Model.” • King, Gary; Jennifer Pan & Margaret Roberts (2017). “How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, Not Engaged Argument.” American Political Science Review, 111(3): 484–501.
Recommended Readings: • Bernays, Edward (1928). Propaganda. Horace Liveright. – Excerpt. • Pomerantsev, Peter (2019). This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality. PublicAffairs. – Chapters 1–2.
Seminar 3 – November 4, 2026: The Role of Social Media: Telegram, Facebook, Instagram Overview: In this session we focus on social media warfare – how social networking platforms and messaging apps have transformed the dissemination of propaganda and false information. We will discuss the characteristics of major platforms (such as Facebook’s broad reach, Twitter/X’s real time networking, Telegram’s encrypted channels, and Instagram’s visual impact) and how each has been leveraged in information operations. Topics include: the virality of fake news (for example, how rumours spread faster than facts on Twitter), the use of bots and algorithms to amplify propaganda, and case studies like Russia’s Internet Research Agency campaigns on Facebook/Instagram during the 2016 US elections, or ISIS and other extremist groups using Telegram and YouTube for recruitment and propaganda. Students will critically examine why social media has proven to be a double-edged sword – empowering grassroots movements and information sharing, yet also enabling echo chambers, hate speech, and disinformation at an unprecedented scale. We will also touch on the efforts by platforms and governments to moderate content and the controversies surrounding them.
Required Readings: • Vosoughi, Soroush; Deb Roy & Sinan Aral (2018). “The Spread of True and False News Online.” Science, 359(6380): 1146–1151. • Singer, P. W. & Emerson T. Brooking (2018). LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. – Chapters 3 and 8. • Bradshaw, S., & Howard, P. N. (2018). The Global Organization of Social Media Disinformation Campaigns. Journal of International Affairs, 71(1.5), 23–32. • Allcott, Hunt & Matthew Gentzkow (2017). “Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2): 211–236.
Recommended Readings: • Marwick, Alice E. (2018). “Why Do People Share Fake News? A Sociotechnical Model of Media Effects.” • Donovan, J., & Boyd, D. (2021). Stop the Presses? Moving From Strategic Silence to Strategic Amplification in a Networked Media Ecosystem. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(2), 333–350. • Vaidhyanathan, Siva (2018). Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. Oxford University Press. – Chapters 4–5. • Starbird, K., Arif, A., & Wilson, T. (2019). Disinformation as Collaborative Work: Surfacing the Participatory Nature of Strategic Information Operations. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3(CSCW), 1–26. • Bradshaw, Samantha & Philip N. Howard (2018). “The Global Organization of Social Media Disinformation Campaigns.” Journal of International Affairs, 71(1): 23–32.
Seminar 5 – November 18, 2026: Researching Digital Propaganda and Disinformation - From Research Design to Data Analysis
Overview: This seminar provides a practical introduction to designing and conducting research on propaganda, disinformation, and online information environments. Students will learn how to move from a broad topic to a feasible research question and case-study design, how to identify appropriate sources of data, and how to make transparent methodological choices throughout the research process. Particular attention will be paid to the collection of digital data, including manual collection as well as the use of tools, platform search functions, archives, and other available data-access tools, while also discussing their limitations, reproducibility, and platform-specific constraints. The seminar will address sampling strategies, time frames, inclusion and exclusion criteria, units of analysis, data organization, and the documentation of the research process. Students will also consider the ethical dimensions of digital research, including privacy, public versus semi-public online spaces, the treatment of usernames and personal information, quotation and anonymization, sensitive or extremist content, and responsible data storage. The second part of the seminar will introduce practical approaches to analysing the collected material, including qualitative content analysis, thematic coding, comparative analysis, and the use of course concepts and theoretical frameworks to interpret empirical material. Through practical exercises, students will develop a small research design of their own and critically assess what conclusions their chosen data and methods can - and cannot - support.
Required Readings: · Harrington, Carol (2025). “Making Ethical Judgement Calls about Qualitative Social Media Research on Sensitive Issues.” International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 28(4), 397–409. DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2024.2393796.
Seminar 5 – December 2, 2026: Countering Digital Propaganda – Strategies for Resilience and Response
Overview: Having studied the threat, we turn to the defence. This seminar focuses on how governments, tech platforms, and societies can counter propaganda and disinformation while preserving democratic values. We begin by surveying the landscape of current responses. Democratic governments and international bodies have recognized disinformation as a serious threat to public goods like informed self-determination, fair elections, and social stability. Policy initiatives such as the European Union’s Action Plan Against Disinformation and the creation of anti-disinformation task forces (e.g., the EU’s East StratCom unit, or the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Centre) aim to coordinate efforts and protect these public interests. At the same time, research shows that effective solutions often need to be tailored to local contexts and vulnerabilities – there is a delicate balance between broad international action and country-specific approaches. We will discuss examples of both top-down and bottom-up strategies.
• Government and International Policies • Tech Platform Responses • Media Literacy and “Inoculation” • Factchecking and OSINT • Whole-of-Society Approaches
Throughout, a key theme is the tension between security and liberty. We will continually ask: How do we defend open societies from information warfare without undermining the openness that defines them? The seminar concludes with students reflecting on what a resilient information environment might look like – likely a combination of smarter policy, smarter technology, and smarter citizens.
Required Readings: • Bateman, J. & Jackson, D. (2024). Countering Disinformation Effectively: An Evidence-Based Policy Guide. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. • Durach, F., Ciocea, M., & Nastasiu, C. (2025). “Countering Disinformation: A Delicate Balance Between International Action and National Particularities.” Media and Communication, 13 (Special Issue on Protecting Democracy from Fake News): 27–38. • Roozenbeek, J. & van der Linden, S. (2019). “Fake News Game Confers Psychological Resistance Against Online Misinformation.” Palgrave Communications, 5: Article 65
Additional Recommended Readings: • European Commission. (2018). Action Plan Against Disinformation. • Aspen Institute. (2021). Commission on Information Disorder – Final Report. • Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U., & Cook, J. (2017). “Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the ‘Post-Truth’ Era.” Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4): 353–369. • United Nations. (2022). Policy Brief: Information Integrity on Digital Platforms.
Seminar 6 – December 16, 2026: Guest Lecture – Topic TBA Poslední úprava: Földes Kristián, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.08.2026)
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