The Role of Digital Storytelling and Visual Rhetoric in National Security Communication: Strengthening Public Resilience against Misinformation in the United States
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This review is especially critical because adversaries of the United States like China, Russia, and Iran, continue to make the United States the target of their information campaigns. Analyzing peer-reviewed publications and other government and institutional literature, the review examines research across communication, psychology, political science, and security studies. Narrative-based approaches and visual communication strategies are found to be effective in heightening people’s awareness against manipulation. These approaches and strategies are critical tools in national security communication as they help to spread accurate information while building public trust in institutions. This review highlights the need for improved interagency approaches among federal institutions of the United States, whole-of-society approaches, and public-private sector collaboration. In addition, media literacy education is found to be another critical policy for enhancing public resilience against misinformation. These policy suggestions were drawn from positive lessons of other jurisdictions including the European Union and Finland. The successful adaptation and implementation of these policy suggestions will not only enhance public communication the United States, but will also ensure the protection of First Amendment rights. The study encourages further research to examine the effectiveness of media literacy programs, comparative studies of different intervention strategies, and specialized demographics-centered research. Contemporary information security threats have risen to the level of military threats. As such, it is important to strengthen public resilience against these threats. Digital storytelling and visual rhetoric possess the persuasive mechanisms to aid strategic communications frameworks in the United States and safeguard the information environment.
Authors: Matilda Thompson, Andrew Okai, Alex Ohemeng
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7125972472
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