Recent years have left us grappling with developments in communication technologies, socio-political shifts, as well as urgent calls to respond to issues of disinformation and indirect subversion through state and non-state actors. It is thus high time to negotiate issues brought to a head by these evolving dynamics: tensions between local and global spaces, privacy and accountability, regulation and freedom of speech.
Strategic communication lies at the heart of these challenges. We need to find new, creative ways of communicating progressive visions, but also resolve how to protect democratic values from being undermined by destructive influences.
Same place, different speakers, new perspectives.
In 2018 we wanted to ask: What if we choose the workings of the human mind as our starting point? How can the perspectives of psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy enrich our understanding of disinformation and subversion? What can the field of Strategic Communications learn from these disciplines?
At the third Riga StratCom Dialogue in June 2018, we were digging deeper into issues concerning human decision-making, the role of AI, and third-party influence on democratic elections. The conference brought together the brightest minds from government, the military, academia, and the private sector to discuss today’s strategic communications challenges.
Watch the conference videos