The Long Arc of Influence: How Governments Turn Information Into a Weapon

The Long Arc of Influence: How Governments Turn Information Into a Weapon

Propaganda adapts to new technologies, but its aim is constant: shape public perception to steer policy. From World War I posters to algorithm-driven social campaigns, governments and their contractors have refined tools to make influence continual, targeted and often invisible.

From World War I to Institutional Doctrine

During World War I the U.S. government created the Committee on Public Information (CPI), the country's first formal influence apparatus. The CPI synchronized messages across newspapers, films, posters and public speeches, transforming propaganda from scattered persuasion into an organized federal effort. Historians note this episode normalized government involvement in journalism and reshaped the relationship between media and the state.

After World War II, influence operations became a permanent element of U.S. defense doctrine. The Department of Defense defined psychological operations as planned efforts to deliver selected information to foreign audiences to influence emotions, reasoning and behavior (see Joint Publication 3-13). Later guidance, including DoD Directive 3600.01, treated information operations as the integrated use of multiple tools to influence adversary decision-making while protecting U.S. decision-making.

Perception Management in the Post‑9/11 Era

Reporting from The Washington Post’s Afghanistan Papers revealed how public messaging could mask strategic confusion and failure. Senior officials often presented optimistic public briefings while privately acknowledging setbacks and relying on manipulated metrics to sustain the appearance of progress. Interviews in that reporting describe a dynamic where shaping the story became a strategic objective in itself—sometimes driving policy rather than reflecting it.

Digital Evolution: From Broadcasts to Algorithms

Other state and nonstate actors adapted these techniques for the internet age. Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) pioneered a digital model that used fabricated social-media personas, emotional targeting and coordinated posting to reach specific audiences. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan report documented how these methods reached Americans during the 2016 election cycle, illustrating a shift from one‑to‑many broadcasting to algorithmic, tailored influence.

"Propaganda works best when it is invisible."

Location-Based Targeting And Influencer Campaigns

Recent developments show how influence campaigns now follow people through real-world routines. Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings reveal proposals to use geofencing to deliver political messages tied to physical locations. A contractor identified as Show Faith by Works proposed what it described as the “Largest Geofencing And Targeted Christian Digital Campaign Ever,” planning to geofence the boundaries of major churches and Christian colleges in multiple states during worship times, track attendees and retarget them with ads.

Public records and reporting cite specific figures: Arizona Public Media’s published FARA attachments named 38 Arizona churches; filings reviewed by the Houston Chronicle identified more than 200 churches in Texas. The proposal specifically listed targeting 219 megachurches in California, 38 in Arizona, 14 in Nevada and 32 in Colorado—described as a priority audience for political messaging. This approach amounts to propaganda by coordinates: messaging aimed at people because of where they gather, not just by demographic attributes.

Parallel tactics blended paid social influence with state messages. Invoices filed with the U.S. Department of Justice show that Bridges Partners billed nearly $900,000 for a program involving about 14–18 influencers producing roughly 75–90 posts on TikTok and Instagram. Investigators who reviewed those invoices estimated per-post compensation in the neighborhood of $6,100 to $7,300—figures cited in reporting. Show Faith by Works also proposed contracting Christian influencers with sizable youth followings, integrating them into the same paid system to deliver narratives aligned with government objectives.

What This Pattern Means

Taken together, these developments reveal a clear shift: Cold War–era leaflets and broadcast radio have given way to personalized social profiles, geofenced sanctuaries and monetized influencer posts. Whether deployed by state actors, contractors, or hybrid networks, the principle is consistent: saturate the information environment until persuasive content feels like ordinary life rather than a political operation.

Conclusion: The techniques are continuous, data-driven and tightly woven into platforms where people get news, converse and organize. The tools have changed, but the objective remains: control the story, and you shape the political reality built around it.