Narratives and cognitive warfare

Dec. 3, 2024

Taipei, Taiwan 

There were two brief notes in the Taiwan news today about the geopolitical maneuvering surrounding the 2024 Taiwanese elections.  And, as shown yesterday by Meta’s closing of several hundred fake social media accounts spreading disinformation about the 2024 U.S. election, what happens in Taiwan will contribute to the development of election narratives across the democratic world next year. 

The first note to highlight is that Taiwanese prosecutors have announced that they found evidence that China’s Taiwan Affairs Office offered paid trips to China to influence Taiwanese votes to vote for specific candidates. 

Stiffer penalties under National Security Act take effect - Taipei Times

The second note is about the more local controversy about a particularly sensitive labor agreement with India.  

Civic group, legislator tout labor synergy with India - Taipei Times

Rampant misinformation surfaced after the announcement of the prospective deal that this potential influx of Indian laborers would lead to more instances of sexual assault in Taiwan.  Through this misinformation drive, which exploited racial animus and even planned a mass protest, we can see how the use of cultural narratives can be a strong social force in society.  Often the only way to counter these narratives is through alternative narratives.  A local legislator here has labeled this misinformation drive about the Indian labor agreement as an instance of “cognitive warfare,” and I believe this incident is the most likely to set a pattern for the disinformation efforts that will be seen across the democratic world’s elections this upcoming year (Taiwan, Indonesia, India, and the U.S.).  The only way to oppose this kind of cognitive warfare is to master the use of narrative.