science

State-sponsored Internet propaganda

State-sponsored Internet propaganda is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand State-sponsored Internet propaganda rather than just read about it. In short: State-sponsored Internet propaganda is Internet manipulation and propaganda that is sponsored by a state. States have used the Internet, particularly social media to influence elections, sow distrust in institutions, spread rumors, spread disinformation, typically using bots, troll farms, or influencers to create and spread contact.

Key takeaways

State-sponsored Internet propaganda belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect State-sponsored Internet propaganda to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of State-sponsored Internet propaganda from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

State-sponsored Internet propaganda is Internet manipulation and propaganda that is sponsored by a state. States have used the Internet, particularly social media to influence elections, sow distrust in institutions, spread rumors, spread disinformation, typically using bots, troll farms, or influencers to create and spread contact. Propaganda is used internally to control populations, and externally to influence other societies. The term Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is also used, particularly by the European Union, for state-sponsored Internet propaganda.

Africa Egypt: since taking power, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was accused of hacking to promote support for el-Sisi.

Americas Mexico: According to researchers quoted by the BBC, the government and multiple competing political parties have used bots. According to a 2017 paper, government-sponsored "spam-bots" have been used to "target journalists" and "spread misinformation". United States: ZunZuneo (2010–2012) – Attempt to establish a microblogging service controlled by the United States Agency for International Development to undermine the Cuban government Operation Earnest Voice – Sock puppet campaign, officially started in 2011 During the first presidency of Donald Trump, the CIA allegedly used social media accounts with fake identities to spread rumors about the Chinese government, according to an investigation by Reuters. #ChinaAngVirus disinformation campaign Venezuela: The Bolivarian Army of Trolls, founded in 2017, is tasked with disseminating Bolivarian propaganda and spreading disinformation. According to a document from Venezuela's Ministry of the Interior and Justice leaked in 2017, the Bolivarian Army of Trolls has five squads: pro-government, opponents, neutrals, distraction, and fake news.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with State-sponsored Internet propaganda

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what State-sponsored Internet propaganda claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to State-sponsored Internet propaganda before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about State-sponsored Internet propaganda ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of State-sponsored Internet propaganda

In research: State-sponsored Internet propaganda appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses State-sponsored Internet propaganda in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: State-sponsored Internet propaganda is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cyberwarfare, Disinformation operations, Internet governance, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for State-sponsored Internet propaganda outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study State-sponsored Internet propaganda in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what State-sponsored Internet propaganda means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain State-sponsored Internet propaganda out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is State-sponsored Internet propaganda in simple terms?

Why does State-sponsored Internet propaganda matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study State-sponsored Internet propaganda?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on State-sponsored Internet propaganda.