Identifying PSYOPs

This comes from a video; I found it interesting given my background. The information is generally relevant, though the video glosses over a bunch of stuff.

1. The FATE model

   • Focus: why is this message being pushed so aggressively?
   • Authority: trusted figures shifting tones or position unnaturally
   • Tribe: what friend/enemy distinction is being made? What ingroups/outgroups?
   • Emotion: Emotional response suppress critical thinking.

   AN: We didn't use this model in PSYOP directly; generally, we found lines of persuasion based on vulnerabilities through key communicators.

2. Question novelty

   Brains are wired to focus on sudden/unusual changes; unexpected changes can be used to direct changes in a population. Timing can shift public focus.

3. Correlate with multiple sources

   Identical talking points among disparate media sources is a red flag. Multiple sources should question each other, and watch out for group think.

4. Identify cognitive dissonance weapons

   New information clashes with existing beliefs. Small, seemingly harmless concessions, can be used to nudge behavioral changes into alignment. One group will be nudged to identify with another group.

5. Identify emotional scripts

   There is hardwired programming in our brains that can be triggered by certain scripts. For example, scarcity, survival, tribal rejection. A defense against this is focusing on the facts.

6. Follow the money

   This will help identify political or financial control mechanisms.

7. Analyze context boundaries

   Context defines normal behavior, so a psyop will aim to shift context to normalize extreme behavior. Figure out the context and identify rules or responses that seem disproportionate or contradictions.

8. Watch out for weaponized archetypes

   These are wired in, and they can be weaponized. Who are the characters, and why are they being portrayed as certain archetypes? Oversimplification

9. Evaluate the worldview being present

   Figure what you're expected to believe, what assumptions are being made about you, and what perception are you expected to hold? What are the truths being asserted as unchallengeable. Find what topics aren't being discussed.

10. Watch out for rapid compliance shifts

    Any time there is an urgency to drive rapid compliance is a red flag. Again, watch out for microagreements that are setting the stage for future compliance.

11. Crosscheck timelines

    Why is this happening now? Is it being used to run cover for something else?

12. Develop these skills

    Study logical fallacies, and learn to spot them.