#213 Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi on Countering Authoritarian Influence

The Cognitive Crucible

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association.

During this episode, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi Sviatoslav discusses propaganda and disinformation in society and the challenges of discerning truth in the age of social media. OpenMinds’ specific expertise lies in working with hard-to-reach regions, including occupied territories, closed platforms, and authoritarian or restricted societies.

Recording Date: 14 Jan 2025

Research Question: Sviat Hnizdovskyi suggests an interested student or researcher examine:

• What are the key motivational drivers behind the mobilization of Russian soldiers?
• How can we establish a link between changes in social media sentiment and real-world behavior?
• What are some effective approaches to measuring impact and outcomes of counter-influence campaigns?

Resources:

• Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned
  • #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge
• Openminds website
• Openminds: Russian Threat Index
• How to Win an Information War by Peter Pomerantsev
• Awakening from the Meaning Crisis by John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro
• Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis by John Vervaeke, Christopher Mastropietro, Filip Miscevic

Link to full show notes and resources

Guest Bio: Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi is a CEO and Founder of OpenMinds - a cognitive defence tech company countering authoritarian influence in the battle for free and open societies. Renowned for its ability to access hard-to-reach areas through technology and leveraging deep local expertise, OpenMinds collaborates with Ukrainian and NATO-member governments, leading communication agencies, and think tanks. In the past two years, OpenMinds has executed 380+ counter-disinformation campaigns and conducted over 55 research projects on societal resilience and effects of propaganda, with a particular focus on the Russo-Ukrainian war. The company’s work has been featured in leading global media outlets, such as The Economist, CNN, The Times, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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