A relevant actor is an individual, group, population or automated system whose capabilities or behaviors have the potential to affect the success of a particular campaign, operation or tactical action, per Joint Publication 3-04, Information in Joint Operations. RAs affect the success of campaign operations or tactical actions due to their perceptions as they consume and share information with others in their networks. It is essential for public affairs professionals to appropriately identify, locate, influence and classify relevant actors by action. This helps PAs better understand the information environment and improve communication strategies to command during the research and planning phases of the communication planning process.
Narratives in Networks
Narratives provide the context for internal and external audiences and support understanding of DoD-related matters. They are continual and necessary characteristics of the information environment or the environment in which messages and ideas, delivered to people, reach others.
Within the IE, relevant actors filter information from ideas to construct meaning. Meanings create stories and add to existing narratives. These existing narratives may belong to relevant actors or to other narratives, such as command narratives. Meanings vary across actors due to human perception and unique understanding. RAs may view narratives as complementary or competing. Relevant actors who view narratives as complementary see information as comprehensive and inclusive of all necessary elements. However, relevant actors who view narratives as competing have alternative interpretations of the narrative they believe to be accurate. People use these narratives to describe their versions of the past and future and to communicate versions to others based on previous experiences. This allows people to make inferences from information that continues to feed into larger narratives. These narratives allow people to transform data into actionable information, such as making decisions or solving problems.
Command narratives become impacted because individuals exposed to the same narrative may form different meanings, further impacting perception and generating influence. As these narratives connect events, including events that are unrelated to each other, overarching concepts emerge. Concepts may affirm, challenge or alter narratives released from national, local or various other sources. These concepts or perceptions allow narratives to evolve or change, further impacting meaning. As relevant actors share their perceptions, others become influenced in their views and reactions to narratives. These reactions positively or negatively impact command narratives and objectives.
Similarly to the "telephone" game, the graphic below depicts how messages and command narratives reach relevant actors. An RA filters narratives for meaning. This actor shares their perceptions of messages with surrounding connections in the information environment. Influence occurs when shared information differs in understanding and perception among individuals. As information travels to other networks, another relevant actor may begin to exude influence within their network. This frequent exchange of narratives between networks may alter original messages.
Information Influence
Determining where information is going and how it is perceived and changes allows public affairs professionals to ensure the success of command narratives in the information environment.
Informational power is the ability to use and leverage information to support achievement of objectives and gain an informational advantage. The essence of informational power is the ability to exert one’s will through the projection, exploitation, denial and preservation of information in pursuit of objectives. In other words, informational power is the act of using one’s voice to tell a story. People share this story with others in their network, gradually revealing part of the information environment. As the story is shared with others, the IE becomes more revealed. This provides insights into different audiences and relevant actors. These insights promote information advantage because they allow information professionals to identify where information is traveling and between whom.
Information advantage is the operational advantage gained through the joint force's use of information for decision-making and its ability to leverage information to create effects on the information environment. As the IE fluctuates in the size of the landscape or total population of people, information professionals must push or leverage the line of information advantage as far as possible to see where influences exist. Public affairs professionals do not control when they reach an information advantage. However, they can review media and analytics to determine thresholds met and the achievement of information advantage. Gaining information advantage allows information professionals to advise on aspects of the information environment and provide communication strategies to command.
Classifying Relevant Actors
Narrative analysis provides invaluable insights into identifying which relevant actors influence a narrative or multiple narratives. In addition, an analysis may indicate which outside actors exist beyond an audience segment in search of relevant information. As a result, these outside actors may amplify messages affecting the campaign, thus becoming relevant actors. The actors identified from this analysis need to associate with appropriate information activities, represented by various forces such as public affairs or psychological operations. This analysis determines what their required change state in the system is. These information forces work together to create conditions that will move the relevant actors from the current state to the change state. The IFs use the action appropriate to their function and the situation. These actions include:
- Informing.
- Influencing.
- Attacking & exploiting.
Relevant actors may fit into multiple categories depending upon action. It’s important to note that public affairs only conducts the inform and attack and exploit actions. PA is an active participant in the targeting process, and effective communication with adversaries is crucial to military strategy. This analysis aids public affairs in development processes, directing the right message to the right person at the right time on the right platform.
Ultimately, relevant actors may positively or negatively impact campaign operations or tactical actions through influence stemming from human perception. It's essential for public affairs professionals to understand who the relevant actors are to better communicate information appropriately and safeguard command narratives.
References
U.S. Department of Defense. (2023). Strategies for Operations in the Information Environment.
Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2016). Joint Publication 3-61 Public Affairs.