Information and communication technologies and the global information environment are increasingly being used by various actors of international relations - including non-state actors - to distribute specially prepared content for malicious political and economic purposes. This article is devoted to the study of the methodology of information and political influence on public opinion and public consciousness. Based on the analysis of doctrinal documents, strategic planning documents of the US and specific examples of information operations, the authors reconstruct the stages of information operations and highlight the Thomas theorem as a theoretical basis for the mechanisms of influence on public consciousness. The authors also assess the impact of the latest ICTs, including those based on advances in artificial intelligence, on the ability to conduct information operations and counter them.