First Draft
Propaganda influence: Examples in the real world and tactics
Propaganda is a strong tool that has a way of influencing one’s thoughts as well as their actions. It is also something that has been around for a long time going back to times like World War 1. With this happening it tends to shape the way others see the world today. It’s the type of tool you’ll notice mainly when someone is trying to make something look bad. Social Media, for example, you’ll see it often there but also in the news you’ll tend to see it even more.
Growing up propaganda has been a part of our everyday lives. Every day, we’re on social media and we consume all types of news. A bunch of misinformation that is being spread by false sources and people just telling lies. Some small examples of this would be news like War, Viruses/Diseases, politics, etc. Covid-19 for example would be a topic of propaganda. During the time of the virus, mainly at the start of the pandemic, there were an overwhelming amount of sources regarding the virus, some accurate and others not so much with the wrong information being displayed. (The COVID-19 Social Media Infodemic Reflects Uncertainty and State-Sponsored Propaganda) Back in 2019 around December is where the virus occurred. It started in Wuhan, China, and would eventually spread to the U.S. in early 2020 (February – March) When this news would occur on social media, there would be racist remarks pointed towards Chinese people. Propaganda takes many forms and has the power to influence people’s decisions as well as being a form of manipulation towards a situation in the heat of the moment. This is just an example of what social media propaganda could do to a group of people. The media manipulates people into consuming information that isn’t always true. One person could make all the difference when it starts to influence other people.
Aside from the media, propaganda takes many other forms such as books, posters, and advertisements. Back in high school, there was this good book I read which was called Animal Farm. It was a fable about the Russian Revolution. It was about these Animals on a farm that protested against the owner of the farm. Throughout the book, there are changes made to the farm and rules that are applied. In the book the author, George Orwell uses Propaganda to convey a message to the story. The pigs have all the power because they’re the smartest ones there. The sheep and horses aren’t the brightest in the head. What happens is the pigs take control, and the other animals are like slaves. They love to get into the sheep’s heads which they repeat a chant over and over. “4 legs good 2 legs bad!” They use this to win any argument on the farm. Soon after, the farm gets split between 2 sides basically and the pigs in charge disagree. When this happens One of the pigs, Napoleon, uses propaganda to speak badly about the other pig, Snowball, influencing and causing the other animals to side with Napoleon and Snowball eventually being driven out of the farm with attack dogs. The book is an allegory for the Russian revolution so each character in the book is influenced based on actual historical people.
Back to the topic, social media isn’t the only way to influence people. Posters also did the trick. Back in the WWI and WWII days, they went old-fashioned. See they went with posters to drag people in. For example, the “I want you” for U.S. Army posters. This was a clear example of propaganda cause it would make people wanna recruit for the army. The whole “Fight for America” thing and join the war effort to make America safer. (Poster shown below)
There’s another poster just like this during WWII with a woman on it. Her name is Rosie the Riveter created by Artist Norman Rockwell. In the poster, it shows a woman who’s working. The meaning behind this poster is to represent American women who worked in the munitions and war supplies factories during World War II and was a call to arms for American women to join the war effort as well. (Stokoe)
There are tactics used with propaganda as well as types. For example, some types are, Name-calling, The bandwagon technique, fear, transfer, and many others but these are the more common tactics when it comes to propaganda usage.
Name-calling is a technique propagandists use to put a negative label on a person or an idea and with this happening the audience would potentially reject that person or idea. (Delwiche) Name-calling like terrorist, racist, etc. Those would form negative reactions from people and usually target certain races. When I hear racist I see that it targets white people because the media shows me that. When I hear terrorists I see people target that word toward Muslims which brings me back to the racist portion. It isn’t acceptable. Name-calling could bring harm to people, random attacks and them having to watch their backs at all times. It’s a bit sad to think about.
Fear is a tactic used in places like television and used by people like dictators and in politics. Have you ever watched TV and seen a commercial related to smoking or driving? Don’t drink and drive or this would happen to you. If you keep smoking cigarettes you’re bound to get cancer eventually and then they bring out the person with a visible hole in their throat and a voice box that they now have to use. Those are fear tactics. Dictators strike fear into civilians and make them abide by their rules. Manuel Noriega for example was a dictator in Panama. He rose to power quickly throughout the years. He was known for his tactics of intimidation and harassment that he would use against other leaders and because of this, he would be feared by the late 70’s. (Bauer)
The bandwagon effect is basically a technique of “Everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t you do it?” A feeling of not wanting to be left out so you instead join in and follow the wave of people. If you don’t end up joining in on the activity then you’ll feel like you just missed out on something important. (Cherry) You could end up joining this bandwagon effect without even realizing it, in ways like “Fear Of Missing Out” or something else. There’s also peer pressure that plays a role into the effect.
Propaganda is strong. It’s everywhere and all around us. We take it in and we consume it but most importantly we could be a part of it when it comes to certain points. We have to be better and fight against it because propaganda is associated with negativity most of the time. All these effects to drag others in when it isn’t right. Don’t spread negativity around.
Bauer, Pat. “Manuel Noriega | Facts & Biography.” Britannica, 10 November 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Manuel-Noriega. Accessed 21 November 2023.
Cherry, Kendra. “The Bandwagon Effect: Definition, Examples, and Effects.” Verywell Mind, 21 September 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-bandwagon-effect-2795895. Accessed 20 November 2023.
“The ultimate guide to propaganda.” Adobe, https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/ultimate-guide-propaganda. Accessed 21 November 2023.
Stokoe, Claire. “51 Powerful Propaganda Posters And The People Behind — Smashing Magazine.” Smashing Magazine, 13 June 2010, https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/100-years-of-propaganda-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/. Accessed 21 November 2023.
Delwiche, Aaron. “Name-calling — Propaganda Critic.” Propaganda Critic, 8 August 2018, https://propagandacritic.com/index.php/how-to-decode-propaganda/name-calling/. Accessed 21 November 2023.
