I have spent the last 5 years working in the information and cyber security industries focusing on psychological vulnerabilities, threat forecasting, behaviour and culture change. I have authored research on these topics for business audiences and developed realistic and dynamic crisis scenarios to train executives and business leaders on how to respond to the threat of a cyber attack. I hold a BSc in Forensic Psychology and an MA in International Security and have recently completed my MSc in Cyberpsychology here at IADT.
This project is a qualitative piece of research exploring the current literature on the topic of psychology and technology and their role in political manipulation.
This research aimed to explore how psychological principles and digital technologies are used to manipulate political beliefs and attitudes, as well as determining if this topic area is one that is under investigated within the psychology discipline.
My research found that psychological principles and technology play a significant role in the manipulation of political beliefs and attitudes often subverting information and manipulating individuals and groups through the use of existing biases, prejudice and the application of negative emotional states.
It also identified a lack of psychological research on this topic area with other fields taking the lead and psychologists publishing to journals outside of their own discipline.