It seemed that each of us knows thoroughly how propaganda works. Manipulation of facts, coverage of only one point of view (necessary for propagandists), and often outright lies – any means are used to spread and introduce a certain idea into the public consciousness.
In the 20th century, propaganda technologies became the main tools of dictatorships. Alas, in the 21st century they are still relevant, despite the apparent abundance and availability of information.
We tell how propaganda works and how not to become its victim. This is more important than ever in the context of military censorship and mass blocking of independent media.
To a new age with the same tools
In 1937, sociologists, historians, journalists and public figures created the Institute for the Analysis of Propaganda and designated its seven main methods are:
- Hanging labels. The use of words with a negative connotation in relation to certain individuals or groups in order to cause hostility, prejudice towards them. This method provokes drawing conclusions without requiring evidence and verification.
Questions for self-control: What does the word used to “stigmatize” this or that group really mean? What real actions allow a person or group to be assigned this designation?
- “Brilliant summaries”. Vague phrases associated with the values and beliefs shared by the public. They often appeal to such concepts as honor, patriotism, the desire for peace, freedom – categories that mean different things to different people.
Questions for self-control: What exactly does the speaker mean by the general category?
- Evidence from authorities. Bringing the statements of experts, opinion leaders in support of a group of people, ideas, and the like. Calls for blind faith in their conclusions. Quotes are often taken out of context or never spoken at all.
Questions for self-control: Is the person referred to really an expert on the subject? What are the specific arguments?
- “Your Boys”. The task is to convince the audience that this or that speaker is a “come from the people” who defends its interests. He may deliberately use the same manner of communication, gestures, to inspire more confidence.
Questions for self-control: What is the value of this or that idea, regardless of the personality of the speaker?
- “Common wagon”. The method is aimed at persuading a person that all members of his group support a certain idea. Phrases like “All normal people understand that…” can be used.
Questions for self-control: How does the idea expressed specifically meet my interests?
- “Juggling the Cards”. Selective use of facts that support a particular claim and concealment of opposing arguments. The task is to force the audience to accept the proposed facts as a conclusion.
Questions for self-control: Can these arguments be refuted? Who else covered this or that topic and how?
- Transfer. Transferring the authority, the prestige of something we respect, to something that the propagandist wants us to accept. For example, the propaganda of Nazi Germany rationalized racist policies by appealing to science and religion.
Questions for self-control: What is the difference between the two entities that are trying to connect with each other?
The methods described back in the 30s of the last century are still used today.
Propaganda almost always relies on the emotional rather than the rational part. One of the main tasks is to eliminate every opportunity to think critically, to force people to accept arguments on faith and not to check the facts.
Various tools allow you to recreate the picture of the world necessary for the propagandist. Obviously, it will take time and resources to not only spread certain beliefs, but also to instill them in people’s minds.
“We seek not the truth, but the effect”
The “father” of Nazi propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, was one of the first to understand that in order to effectively promote the ideas needed by the authorities, it is necessary to involve culture and the media, affecting emotions, not reason.
The Ministry of National Education and Propaganda, headed by him, subjugated everything – radio, cinema, literature and the press. All of them broadcast the same slogans, directly or indirectly introduced the ideas of power and slandered everyone who was objectionable to it. The propaganda machine worked massively and almost continuously.
Today, radios have been replaced by televisions, and in our hands we have not a newspaper, but a smartphone. New tools that influence public consciousness have become more accessible, and the picture is even more colorful. The methods have not changed, but only modified.
In an age of fake news, an endless stream of information, and social media bots, people are doing less fact-checking and are increasingly choosing sources that are more in line with their position. But if there is nothing to choose from?
Of course, propaganda, often built on the opposition of “friend or foe”, does not tolerate dissent. Therefore, in states that build their interaction with society on a similar basis, they close down independent media and introduce strict censorship.
When information is distorted, but no one can refute it, it is hundreds of times easier to implement an idea. As George Orwell wrote: “The smaller the choice of words, the less the temptation to think.”
However, manipulation is effective only until the moment when the victim does not know about it. But in the age of technology and globalization, it is possible to resist manipulation.
5 tips on how not to become a victim of propaganda
- Read different media. Trite, but effective. Even if it seems that the “other side” cannot report anything new, it is still worth knowing one more, or better, several points of view, even more beautiful – from sources in different languages. In 2022, even when trying to block information channels, if you wish, you can always resist the bans. Read our guide on blocking bypasses.
- Look for logic. Often the words of propagandists diverge from their actions and they contradict themselves. In the flow of information, it is easy to forget and lose the thread of the statements of the participants in the propaganda machine. But the Internet remembers everything.
- Always doubt. You should never take for granted what you read or hear (and in the age of technology, you also see it on the Internet or on TV). Simple fact-checking usually takes no more than a couple of minutes.
- Share opinions and facts. Often the statements of “sources” or experts are presented as an accomplished event. But it is worth remembering that an accomplished event and a forecast about the possibility of its occurrence are not the same thing.
- Study history. “Nothing new under the sun.” For the most part, history repeats itself, sometimes with a frightening similarity. All mechanisms have already been described and applied, one has only to take a closer look at the current situation.
Subscribe to Cryplogger news in Telegram: Cryplogger Feed – the entire news feed, Cryplogger — the most important news, infographics and opinions.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press CTRL+ENTER
It seemed that each of us knows thoroughly how propaganda works. Manipulation of facts, coverage of only one point of view (necessary for propagandists), and often outright lies – any means are used to spread and introduce a certain idea into the public consciousness.
In the 20th century, propaganda technologies became the main tools of dictatorships. Alas, in the 21st century they are still relevant, despite the apparent abundance and availability of information.
We tell how propaganda works and how not to become its victim. This is more important than ever in the context of military censorship and mass blocking of independent media.
To a new age with the same tools
In 1937, sociologists, historians, journalists and public figures created the Institute for the Analysis of Propaganda and designated its seven main methods are:
- Hanging labels. The use of words with a negative connotation in relation to certain individuals or groups in order to cause hostility, prejudice towards them. This method provokes drawing conclusions without requiring evidence and verification.
Questions for self-control: What does the word used to “stigmatize” this or that group really mean? What real actions allow a person or group to be assigned this designation?
- “Brilliant summaries”. Vague phrases associated with the values and beliefs shared by the public. They often appeal to such concepts as honor, patriotism, the desire for peace, freedom – categories that mean different things to different people.
Questions for self-control: What exactly does the speaker mean by the general category?
- Evidence from authorities. Bringing the statements of experts, opinion leaders in support of a group of people, ideas, and the like. Calls for blind faith in their conclusions. Quotes are often taken out of context or never spoken at all.
Questions for self-control: Is the person referred to really an expert on the subject? What are the specific arguments?
- “Your Boys”. The task is to convince the audience that this or that speaker is a “come from the people” who defends its interests. He may deliberately use the same manner of communication, gestures, to inspire more confidence.
Questions for self-control: What is the value of this or that idea, regardless of the personality of the speaker?
- “Common wagon”. The method is aimed at persuading a person that all members of his group support a certain idea. Phrases like “All normal people understand that…” can be used.
Questions for self-control: How does the idea expressed specifically meet my interests?
- “Juggling the Cards”. Selective use of facts that support a particular claim and concealment of opposing arguments. The task is to force the audience to accept the proposed facts as a conclusion.
Questions for self-control: Can these arguments be refuted? Who else covered this or that topic and how?
- Transfer. Transferring the authority, the prestige of something we respect, to something that the propagandist wants us to accept. For example, the propaganda of Nazi Germany rationalized racist policies by appealing to science and religion.
Questions for self-control: What is the difference between the two entities that are trying to connect with each other?
The methods described back in the 30s of the last century are still used today.
Propaganda almost always relies on the emotional rather than the rational part. One of the main tasks is to eliminate every opportunity to think critically, to force people to accept arguments on faith and not to check the facts.
Various tools allow you to recreate the picture of the world necessary for the propagandist. Obviously, it will take time and resources to not only spread certain beliefs, but also to instill them in people’s minds.
“We seek not the truth, but the effect”
The “father” of Nazi propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, was one of the first to understand that in order to effectively promote the ideas needed by the authorities, it is necessary to involve culture and the media, affecting emotions, not reason.
The Ministry of National Education and Propaganda, headed by him, subjugated everything – radio, cinema, literature and the press. All of them broadcast the same slogans, directly or indirectly introduced the ideas of power and slandered everyone who was objectionable to it. The propaganda machine worked massively and almost continuously.
Today, radios have been replaced by televisions, and in our hands we have not a newspaper, but a smartphone. New tools that influence public consciousness have become more accessible, and the picture is even more colorful. The methods have not changed, but only modified.
In an age of fake news, an endless stream of information, and social media bots, people are doing less fact-checking and are increasingly choosing sources that are more in line with their position. But if there is nothing to choose from?
Of course, propaganda, often built on the opposition of “friend or foe”, does not tolerate dissent. Therefore, in states that build their interaction with society on a similar basis, they close down independent media and introduce strict censorship.
When information is distorted, but no one can refute it, it is hundreds of times easier to implement an idea. As George Orwell wrote: “The smaller the choice of words, the less the temptation to think.”
However, manipulation is effective only until the moment when the victim does not know about it. But in the age of technology and globalization, it is possible to resist manipulation.
5 tips on how not to become a victim of propaganda
- Read different media. Trite, but effective. Even if it seems that the “other side” cannot report anything new, it is still worth knowing one more, or better, several points of view, even more beautiful – from sources in different languages. In 2022, even when trying to block information channels, if you wish, you can always resist the bans. Read our guide on blocking bypasses.
- Look for logic. Often the words of propagandists diverge from their actions and they contradict themselves. In the flow of information, it is easy to forget and lose the thread of the statements of the participants in the propaganda machine. But the Internet remembers everything.
- Always doubt. You should never take for granted what you read or hear (and in the age of technology, you also see it on the Internet or on TV). Simple fact-checking usually takes no more than a couple of minutes.
- Share opinions and facts. Often the statements of “sources” or experts are presented as an accomplished event. But it is worth remembering that an accomplished event and a forecast about the possibility of its occurrence are not the same thing.
- Study history. “Nothing new under the sun.” For the most part, history repeats itself, sometimes with a frightening similarity. All mechanisms have already been described and applied, one has only to take a closer look at the current situation.
Subscribe to Cryplogger news in Telegram: Cryplogger Feed – the entire news feed, Cryplogger — the most important news, infographics and opinions.
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