Memetic Warfare: An In-Depth Look at Fake Antifa Trolls [Introduction]

“It’s time to embrace memetic warfare,” urged Jeff Giesea in Defence Strategic Communications, the journal of NATO’s Strategic Communications Center of Excellence.

“It’s inexpensive. The capabilities exist. Why aren’t we trying it?”

In his groundbreaking article, the social media guru called on NATO to seriously investigate and harness the power of weaponized memetics, especially as a method of warfare against enemies of the West.

He defined the concept as a “competition over narrative, ideas, and social control in a social media battlefield.”

And on social media, trolls and memes are like “guerrillas” and “propaganda,” respectively, he wrote in 2015.

He also emphasized that the method was being “used in a military capacity” by Russia, China, and ISIS.

In fact, on February 16, 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three organizations accused of interfering in the 2016 presidential election.

Among those organizations is the Internet Research Agency, a Russian corporate entity that reportedly conducted “information warfare” through fake social media accounts, which “organized and coordinated” political rallies throughout the United States.

But this ongoing cyber war for the hearts and minds of everyday Americans is also fought by alt-right memetic warriors, some of who are dedicated to smearing one of their most fervent opponents: Antifa.

Finally, I hope this report will shine a spotlight on those who are exploiting our fellow compatriots.