“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” (Kierkegaard)

At Le Hack 2023, Winn Schwartau introduced us to The Art & Science of Metawar: Reality Distortion, Dis-information Warfare, Cognitive Infrastructure Manipulation, and Hacking Control of the Human Experience for God & Country, Power & Profit. At Le Hack 2024, he will walk us through the complete Metawar Thesis and offer some insights on how humanity can mount cognitive defenses. Metawar is the art and science of creating believable experiences to influence, alter, and define your sense of reality. It is the battle for control over your identity, sense of truth, and belief systems outside your conscious awareness. On the global stage, metawar represents the 6th domain of warfare. The metawar thesis is quite straightforward:

Storytelling => Is fundamental to human communications and ideally creates an Immersive Experience = > which brings the audience inside the story. It relies upon Reality Distortion => to make the narrative convincing by the use of TMI/Information-Overload/Disinformation = > to form mental images through which the story is told. Using Manipulation => the participants’ worldview and belief systems are altered. Reward => systems target the human mind with digital opioids developing an Addiction => to the narrative. The storyteller can then induce behaviors Compliance => through repetition and fear. That is how to create undying, absolute Belief.

Humanity was not built to survive technology; we were only built to survive nature. In the last seventy years, we have terraformed a global cognitive infrastructure that is evolving to be an existential threat to humanity.

• Abuse of Personally Identifiable Behavior (Tech predicts human reactions)
• TMI/Information Overload (Mental DOS/DDoS, confusion)
• Tech Anxiety/Stress (FOMO, distraction, battery/power, acceptance)
• Digital Addiction (Big Tech profit-induced dopamine, emotional)
• The Algorithm (AI, Giving up decision-making, exploiting PIB, closing the loop)

The Metawar Thesis employs the latest neuroscience and psychological research. It offers ways to strengthen our mental immune systems using the fundamentals of cybersecurity as a guide.

Humanity must learn to adapt to and coexist with the technologies we have created. Get ready for a ride that questions what it means to be a human and how much agency you really have.

With metawar, reality is only a keystroke away.