People of war in media’s picture of the world

Abstract

Usually, we limit our understanding of the term “people of war” to those who trigger a war, lead, fight as commanders and soldiers. People of war are not only political leaders, commander chiefs, great and small and their armies. People of war are also attacked, beleaguered and oppressed nations, living in peace people of different countries and societies, not involved in conflict, observers of these events and their victims. They are also societies, nations, and civilizations, every one who is constantly manipulated and unconsciously participating in war with smaller or larger consequences. The threat to people is not only conventional war, but information warfare using such tools as: propaganda, disinformation, inspiration, manipulation of information, social engineering. This is how the mentioned people, spectators of TV and other media including social media, become participants of the war, supporting it or not, voting for governments or not, participating humanitarian actions or not. Their views, choices and decisions may depend in some degree of the aggressor. Information warfare is devastating, like any war, only in a different way, without blood. The people of war are almost the entire population of the world who has access to information in global information system. The authorities, opinion-makers, social groups, entire countries and nations are affected.