ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concept of Strategic Digital Information Operations (SDIOs) as a framework to understand the sophisticated and deliberate efforts by state and non-state actors to manipulate the digital information environment. We examine the practices and tactics employed in SDIOs, highlighting their political goals at both domestic and international levels. While the existing literature has primarily focused on the military-political impacts of SDIOs, this chapter addresses an overlooked dimension: their societal implications. These include how they influence emotive political mobilisation, intergroup relations, social cohesion, trust, and the emotional resonance they have with targeted audiences. By using SDIOs as a comprehensive framework, we aim to encapsulate the diverse forms of digital manipulation, offering insights into their profound implications for global political and social dynamics.
