Informational-psychological impact on mass consciousness

Abstract

The article reviews the mechanisms of informational-psychological influence, which are purposefully used to manipulate mass consciousness in the conditions of modern hybrid threats. The paper emphasizes that informational-psychological influence is one of the most problematic and urgent issues of modern society. The rapid development of global media, digital communication, social networks and algorithmic ecosystems creates an environment where the impact on the consciousness of the population occurs in continuous, multi-channel and often invisible forms. The article reviews the essence of informational-psychological influence, the mechanisms of its use, the features of mass consciousness, and also provides an analysis of how public attitudes, mass behavior and cultural-political orientations are formed under conditions of informational pressure.

Within the framework of military-scientific analysis, the structure of information operations, modeling of their messages, identification of target groups for psychological impact and their integration into strategies directed against the state become subjects of interest. Special attention is paid to the points of vulnerability in the defense sector: decline in institutional trust, discrediting of military structures, disinformation about critical infrastructure and forms of psychological pressure on military personnel. The article presents the growth trends of hybrid threats, the typology of information attacks and the analytical model of weak points. The study concludes that the formation of resilience against information-psychological threats is a necessary component of the state's defense capability and requires an interdisciplinary, systemic and strategic approach.