POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE CONDITIONSOF INFORMATION WARFARE: MECHANISMS FOR COUNTERING DISINFORMATION

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the transformation of political communication in the context of information warfare, which in modern realities appears as one of the key tools for ensuring national security, social stability and political legitimacy. Particular attention is paid to the study of the functioning of communication processes in the modern information environment of Ukraine and the European Union countries, taking into account the impact of digitalization, the development of social media and the spread of hybrid information threats. The methodological basis of the study is the analysis and synthesis of scientific sources, the study of regulatory legal acts, comparative and systemic approaches, as well as content analysis of information processes and communication practices. As a result of the study, it was established that modern information threats are complex, multi-level and hybrid in nature and are implemented through a combination of disinformation, propaganda, psychological influences and targeted information operations. The effectiveness of a multi-level model of countering disinformation, which integrates operational response tools (fact-checking, refutation), preventive approaches (pre-bunking, inoculation), as well as strategic mechanisms, in particular the development of strategic communications and increasing the level of media literacy of the population, is substantiated. It is proven that the determining criterion for the effectiveness of such measures is not only the volume of refuted information, but primarily the level of citizens’ trust in institutions and their ability to critically understand information and resistance to manipulative influences. The emphasis is on the growing role of strategic communications as an integrating element of state information policy, which ensures the coherence of messages and the formation of long-term narratives, and the importance of effective interaction between the state, the media and civil society is also emphasized. It is determined that the prospects for further research are related to the analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence technologies on information processes and the improvement of mechanisms for forming the cognitive stability of society.