For those who do not know what 4D warfare is, I will give a brief synopsis. It is more psychological than physical war, disseminating disinformation and causing people to doubt their beliefs and loyalties. 4D employs the age-old technique of divide and conquer; all governments have been using similar techniques since the dawn of time.
In many cases, the governments got away with the disinformation campaigns because of a lack of oversight and a slow rate of information sharing. In today's fast-paced world of near-instant communications and the ubiquitous internet-enabled cameras, many misleading and outright lies from governments and other entities are caught and published online in minutes. This speed of information dissemination is both aiding and disabling 4D activities.
A historical case of disinformation was during WWII and the invasion of Normandy. The Allied forced planted false information with the German High Command, causing them to believe the actual attack was still to come after the Normandy landing. It was a masterful operation using false papers, false radio transmissions, and the use of fraudulent deceased soldiers. It was called "Project Mincemeat."
Today, we watch 4D warfare played out by Politicians and other actors on the international stage. President Trump is by far one of the champions in "4D Warfare." He uses Social Media with a flare and takes the attacks aimed at him and reverses them on his opponents. He uses short easy to remember phrases. His opponents get catchy nicknames that stick. No matter what else we hear or see, the nickname is at the fore of our minds. His tweets are very often the polar opposite of Politically Correct. They are usually short, or they are memes. The old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is correct on so many levels; this is the heart of 4D. Memes provoke thought and discussion. The funnier or more disrespectful it is, the better. They are often just a few words. Few people will want to read a paragraph on a poster in a crowd. The message gets lost when there are too many words.
Memes are meant to be funny. They are the skewers that gore all sacred cows. Making memes irreverent and sarcastic makes them memorable. Memes plant the seeds of the thoughts you want to spread. When people think of what they saw, they may not remember the entirety of the meme, but they will remember the idea it sparked.
The idea planted is an essential part of 4D. It is what may cause the person to question a long-held belief or bias. This questioning is the beginning of the process of divide and conquer. When the soldier starts to believe they are not fighting for a righteous cause, they will doubt the validity of the orders from the command structure. When enough front line and rear echelon soldiers suspect the validity of the orders, there is chaos and desertions.
Human nature plays a significant role in 4D. When doubt enters the rank and file of any organization, it will spread. This doubt will affect morale in the ranks. With this breakdown, there will be conflicts between members of the organization. A few members will start to sabotage the mission and efforts of the group subtly. People outside of the organization will begin to lose faith in the group; this will accelerate the group's collapse. As the failures continue, the group starts to look inside for why it is failing. A few members will leave the group set up an opposing camp, completing the beginning phase of divide and conquer. After a while, these two camps will engage in retaliatory actions due to some perceived slight from the other side. The leaders of the groups will identify these slights.
Third parties can escalate tensions by sewing disinformation to both sides. A simple message that resonates with either side is the best fuel to escalate hostilities between the groups. When a person hears something that resonates with their feelings, they will want to believe it is true.
Let's look at what is happening in the US. Many sides use 4d warfare to stoke violence and unrest in the populace. In many ways, disinformation dissemination is easier now than it was as little as 50 years ago. We get nonstop information from many sources. Many online sites have 24 hours a day feeds and give free access to content. Some of these sites provide biased information to sway public opinion. Most people inherently believe in information from authorities. Many psychological studies have born this out over the years. Around 70% of the people will not question orders or the validity of information from a purported authority.
With people conditioned this way, it is easy for the government or many large news organizations to issue propaganda and disinformation as facts. Easy access to the internet also gives the opposition an equal voice. They will use the same and different platforms to disseminate information to the public. 4D players will create memorable slogans and use pictures to convey their messages. The best rule is to keep it simple — bright colors to catch the eye of the people. Large letters and easy-to-remember words make the best memes.
The political right is using memes for the best effect. Ridiculing the opposition is the best way to subvert them. Keeping a sense of humor is key to winning in this situation. Tasking the memes serious is dangerous in 4D play. The Leftist and Globalist in the US and Europe are fighting memes, making them all the more powerful. As the local populace sees the leaders of their political party have meltdowns over the memes aimed at them, they will begin to distance themselves from the leadership.
The European Union has effectively outlawed memes to the general public. They have weaponized copyright laws to stop political commentators. It has also enacted draconian hate speech laws at a ridiculous level. These efforts are meant to stifle any dissent among the population and give the government a monopoly on information. This monopoly gives the powerful in society the ability to shape public opinion.
A monopoly of information is not likely at this point in the US. We have the first amendment to the constitution. I say this as a caution to those who still believe in traditional American values. The Globalists have brainwashed the generation that is now becoming old enough to vote to accept the government is benevolent and always has their best interest in mind. The media and celebrities easily manipulate them. They received participation trophies for just being on a team. They have no work ethic; because they know the government will step in and provide them the basics of life.
We need to start using 4D methods to wake up the sleeping masses. As Morpheus said in The Matrix: "Take the Red pill to stay in Wonderland and see how far down the rabbit hole you can go." Interestingly, the government provides the necessary information for the regular person to start an effective 4D campaign. US Army Field manuals are an excellent resource for any citizen wanting to learn about many subjects. I refer you to FM 33-1-1 Psychological Operations Techniques and Procedures and FM 3-13 Information Operations for our conversation. These two manuals will give the necessary information to plan and carry out a variety of 4D operations.
There is nothing illegal or immoral about using 4D methods to get your opinion and beliefs out to the public. The morals question is in your intent. If the purpose is to educate and enlighten, then it is good and wholesome. If the plan is to manipulate or coerce then, it is by any measure terrible.
A final bit of advice to those who want to make a difference. Be careful and be aware of the possible consequences of your actions. In Maoist China, during the Cultural Revolution, mobs would beat people to death for things they had said or done years earlier. As we see today, the court of public opinion convicts people for something they said years ago.
The Globalist's Cancel culture is going after anyone who does not spout the politically correct opinion. J.K.Rowlings is a perfect example of the cancel culture attacking its supporters. She made a statement that only women born as women are indeed women. Transwomen are not real women. After she made this statement, the LGBT++++ community came after her with vitriolic attacks. She was one of the Left's brightest stars; now, she has to hide behind armed guards.
There are too many examples of the left attacking supporters who made non-PC statements. 4D warfare is about using the information to promote your cause. Get a leftist to make a non-PC statement, and the Left will destroy the target for you.