Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
A virtual talk by Carl Miller.
Information warfare was once used by the world’s military as an adjunct to armed battle.
In the last decade, however, information warfare has changed: information has become the weapon and the space it occupies the theatre of conflict outside of any shooting war.
Welcome to the world of dark influence and information warfare – a world where those fighting this battle are trying to manipulate what’s seen and believed and to influence culture and values.
We might call it “fake news” or “disinformation” but while it’s something we see around us every day the way it operates is known to relatively few.
In this talk, Carl Miller, Research director of Demos’ Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, will explain dark influence and why those waging this information war wish to create nothing less than synthetic ideational realities.
Carl will discuss:
The rise of technology firms and social networks as the channels through which the general public view and understand the world.
How people have placed their faith - and their trust - in new sources of authority.
The tactics of dark influence that include panning individuals, hounding out critical voices and paying for crowds of supporters and cheerleaders.
Strategies in the information war including use of conspiracy theorists, front groups and real groups, centrally controlled and self-directing actors, fake and genuine figures in academia and journalism.
Recorded 22-4-2021.
A virtual talk by Carl Miller.
Information warfare was once used by the world’s military as an adjunct to armed battle.
In the last decade, however, information warfare has changed: information has become the weapon and the space it occupies the theatre of conflict outside of any shooting war.
Welcome to the world of dark influence and information warfare – a world where those fighting this battle are trying to manipulate what’s seen and believed and to influence culture and values.
We might call it “fake news” or “disinformation” but while it’s something we see around us every day the way it operates is known to relatively few.
In this talk, Carl Miller, Research director of Demos’ Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, will explain dark influence and why those waging this information war wish to create nothing less than synthetic ideational realities.
Carl will discuss:
The rise of technology firms and social networks as the channels through which the general public view and understand the world.
How people have placed their faith - and their trust - in new sources of authority.
The tactics of dark influence that include panning individuals, hounding out critical voices and paying for crowds of supporters and cheerleaders.
Strategies in the information war including use of conspiracy theorists, front groups and real groups, centrally controlled and self-directing actors, fake and genuine figures in academia and journalism.
Recorded 22-4-2021.
