Analysing Content Manipulation And Agenda Setting In Prioritising Current Affairs: A Content And Sentiment Analysis Of Youtube Vlogs In Fifth-Generation Warfare

Abstract

This paper investigates the concept of YouTube vlogs as digital narratives of psychological war in the context of the fifth-generation warfare in Pakistan. Based on the qualitative thematic sentiment analysis, 150 vlog episodes of fifteen major Pakistani vloggers were empirically analysed to explore how issues, narratives, and emotional state form the perception of the audience. The results indicate that political governance and national security occupy the central focus in YouTube vlog content. These themes are more prominent than [1]other subject areas. The findings further reveal a dominance of negative emotional framing, particularly fear, anger, distrust, and anxiety. YouTube vloggers are informal agenda-setters who strategically employ issue emphasis and emotional framing to control what viewers believe and feel. The paper demonstrates that YouTube vlogs function as a form of unobtrusive psychological influence. This form of influence is considered one of the key instruments of fifth-generation warfare. The findings further suggest that digital media is reshaping the cognitive environment. Consequently, it is transforming the way audiences perceive and interpret the world. The results also highlight the significance of media literacy, moral content production, and tactical communication in the digital age.