Frag Out! Magazine

6. Over the last 25 years, there have been rapid transformations in forms and channels of communication. The two youngest generations - "Gen Z" and "Alpha" - rely predominantly on the Internet not only as a source of knowledge but also as a means of communication and social interaction. As a result, classic forms of communication - including the well-recognized and widely used state-citizen communication channels of the press, radio, and television - are being marginalized. Both "Gen Z" and "Alpha" believe they are capable of objectively assessing information in terms of its importance and truthfulness. At the same time, information overload and the apparent ease of access to information exceed the cognitive capacity of the human brain to such an extent that numerous simplifications are adopted and the pace of assessment and decision-making accelerates. These are virtually ideal environments for cognitive operations. 7. The "Millennial" generation (1981–1996) is an example of a transitional group linking the new forms of communication with what was typical of "Generation X" (1965–1980), namely radio, print media, and television. The latter generation, due to digital exclusion, is susceptible to online manipulation and fake news, but its continued use of traditional and more easily controlled legacy media appears to partly mitigate this effect. 8. Traditional media with online editions (or those operating exclusively online) can, through press law and the entire apparatus of editors and journalists, be fully controlled in situations of armed conflict. This is significant in the context of Generation X and the gradually fading Baby Boomer generation (1946–1964). 9. Social media platforms that were until recently popular, such as Facebook, are increasingly "foreign" to Gen Alpha and Millennials and are being displaced by dispersed and multi-vector communication platforms - often controlled by non-NATO states (e.g., TikTok or Telegram). Their users (similar to Facebook or X users) are enclosed in information bubbles by platform algorithms. Searching for or approving a given type of content causes a flood of similar content to be fed to the user while opposing content that may trigger cognitive dissonance is restricted. This is a highly dangerous phenomenon, partly controlled by the platform owners and aimed at maximizing the time users spend on the platform and improving profiling for advertising purposes. In the context of cognitive operations, it facilitates influence over individuals and social groups that are targeted. 10. Controlling the Internet as a medium of communication is extremely difficult. Steps toward total shutdowns (Iran) or severe censorship (China, Russia) are hard to implement and, in the case of Poland, would cause the collapse of the entire small and medium-sized enterprise sector and very serious dysfunction in logistics and the classic sectors of the economy. In practical terms, as a state and economic organism, we have reached a point where "pulling the plug" would produce economic effects comparable to those of armed conflict. It must be assumed that there will be no political consent for this, regardless of the operational scenario. In addition, the increasingly widespread access to the network via satellite terminals (Starlink) makes the prospect of an effective disconnection from the Internet ANALYSIS

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