Weaponizing Social Media in Pakistan: Analyzing the Multifaceted Connections of Technological Determinism and Information Warfare

Abstract

Due to the recent technological evolution, states and civilizations have become trapped
in a state of technological determinism or dependency thereby increasing their
exposure or interaction to social media. This study brings together the context of
information warfare being conducted through social media and how technological
determinism further fuels its results. The study explores if information warfare
conducted through social media has exposed elements such as cultural extinction and
xeno-centrisim in the Pakistani society. A survey was conducted which involved around
200 respondents following the non-probability method and specifying the respondents
to be working professional from the age of 25 and above. The results indicated that this
issue did persist in Pakistan and the public was slowly being brain washed through
information warfare conducted using social media by foreign elements like India and
America and thus turning public perception of Pakistan according to will of the foreign
elements and stopping them form the path of development.