Digital Propaganda in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Simulation, Framing, and Perception Management Through Lego Aesthetics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21996918 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Özgenur Reyhan Güler (0000-0003-0899-2297, Istinye University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1761-1782 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2146-5193 • E-ISSN: 2146-5193 |
| Publisher | Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.7456/tojdac.1932971 |
| OpenAlex | W7166861943 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
This study investigates how AI-generated visual content functions as a tool of digital propaganda and perception management in the context of war. Lego-themed animation videos produced during the 2026 Iran-US-Israel conflict signal a significant transformation in war representation, constituting simulation spaces in which reality is reconstructed, aestheticized, and ideologically framed. The theoretical framework rests on three axes. Drawing on Baudrillard's simulation theory, the videos are conceptualized as hyperreality production in which war is transformed into an aestheticized, consumable form, with Lego aesthetics rendering violence less visible and recoding trauma into a gamified representational regime. Within Framing Theory, the study analyzes how these contents construct meaning structures through themes such as good versus evil, threat, and victimhood. Within propaganda theory, they are evaluated as new-generation digital propaganda incorporating entertainment, nostalgia, and popular culture to render ideological messaging more implicit and effective. Employing visual discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis, the findings demonstrate that these videos actively reconstruct audience perception. The study concludes that in the age of artificial intelligence, wars are conducted not only in physical spaces but simultaneously within perceptual and symbolic domains
Animation · Digital media · Ideology · Perception · Photojournalism · Digital Games and Media · Digital Media and Philosophy · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |