Propaganda & Media

Ellul's creating resonance with the audience - techniques

"The propagandist builds his techniques on the basis on his knowledge of man, his tendencies, his desires, his needs, his psychic mechanisms, his conditioning." In other words, propagandist tries to match his message with the predispositions of the person receiving it. Messages appear resonant.

Doob's identifications of a Propagandist

"Verbal Compulsion" If propagandist is a person, they will talk frequently and with authority. This person may also be a decoy for the real propagandist

Worthy versus Unworthy

A propaganda system will consistently portray people abused in enemy states as worthy victims, whereas those treated with equal or greater severity by its own government or clients will be unworthy.

What is Social Media's Impact on Super Bowl Advertising?

Ads are now turned into a week long campaign that utilizes social media (facebook, twitter, youtube). "First, teasing out the actual commercials in snippets or content and contests around the commercials," he said. "Second is the big reveal, the impact of the surprise of their Super Bowl commercial." Social media builds awareness/buzz around new products. + social media sites allow people to rate their favorite ads, and these results are shared through traditional news sources. Social media ups the ante, and allows for longer, more complex promotion of these ads.

Goal of Advertising - scarcity

Advertising wants to create an internal scarcity of contentment, a state of needing that is continually recreated, even after purchasing something. Converting human feelings into needs. Fear is an emotion that helps achieve this goal.

media ownership, advertising, reliance on official sources, flak, anti-communism

Five Filters (in the propaganda model by Herman & Chomsky)

Why do politicians use hashtags as a political tool?

Hashtags allow for communication, and tend to polarize debates. They force people to take a side, and have become a standard form of political communication. The twitter mass will use hashtags and twitter, and refusing to interact with these communications is foolish. The answer to this question is vague in the article.

Structural Considerations for a successful propaganda campaign

How is the communication network used? How is information disseminated from the leader to the membership? How is information transmitted to the public? Is the public denied access to information only available to membership/propagandist organization elite?

Control over the media

Media utilized heavily by propagandist agents. Access to media = control of the public. Less control of message = less control over homogeneity of message. This is bad, homogenous = very important. Less control = people can run oppositional/distraction counterpropaganda.

Source Credibility

People look up to authority figures, and "expert opinions" validate the views of the propagandist. Building familiarity with desire recipient to legitimize your message. Using heroes/leadership.

Propaganda Agents

People who directly facilitate the distribution of propaganda messages, either directly or through media. Powerful charismatic figures, or low key/bureaucrats. Hierarchy of agents with a chain of command, ensure homogeneity of message.

Hyperadvocacy

People who have viewpoints that fall in line with a particular political agenda retweet and redistribute messages that advocate that cause. Their activities mirror the four characteristics listed below. 1. Sending high volumes of tweets over short periods of time; 2. Retweeting while publishing little original content; 3. Quickly retweeting others' content; and 4. Coordinating with other, seemingly unrelated users to send duplicate or near-duplicate messages on the same topic simultaneously.

"Me the People" mindset

The individual is of primary importance. Their own likes and dislikes constitute their world, and advertising is tailored on an individual basis through social media. Advertising on the consumers terms, bottom up rather than top down.

Results of Confinement

1. Dependency on the person/system that controls the new environment. Must learn to manipulate this new environment 2.Creature becomes focused on (addicted to) remaining experiences 3.Mental and physical expectations reduced to new set of possibilities

Elements for the creation of value through advertising

1.altering a raw material or something with no intrinsic value into something that is valuable 2.scarcity → separation of people from something they need. Especially separation from basic resources (food/water) or the creation of new commodities.

Trickle-down theory - definition and failure

The theory that when people buy more commodities, increase profits, allow for industry to expand. This produces more jobs, puts more money into circulation, and in turn increases commodity consumption. Cyclical pattern of growth. The failure was that the benefits did not produce a rich consumer base, but instead grew the wealth of companies disproportionately. People also became more isolated, frustrated and alienated.

What is considered newsworthy on Facebook according to Thompson?

The things that you personally find interesting, and the things that your friends who you interact with find interesting. Stories that produce a high arousal of emotions. Stories that reflect ourselves, based on machine learning algorythm.

How do politicians react when their Twitter profile becomes more public?

They often have staff members run their twitter accounts, giving them select bits of information and making multiple posts on their behalf. It also opens the door for mistakes to have more dire consequences

Music as propaganda

Used in many different ways, effective as propaganda because it touches the emotions easily, suggests associations to past experiences, invites us to sing along, and embraces ideology in the lyrics.

Why are hashtags so unique according to Andrew Walker?

What makes them unique is they describe your emotional state. In any networked environment it is difficult for you to get your nuances across, your tone of voice. They let you describe your tweet but they also enable you to turn it into satire or comedy or make an oblique point. Also you don't actually have to use them, people just choose to.

Extreme Democracy

everyone's a publisher, and people can say whatever they want with no rejection or limit. It's complete freedom of expression. People are able to constantly spread their views, and other users have the ability immediatley to propogate or challenge those opinions.

Special Techniques to maximize effect of propaganda

Analyze desired behavior states, not necessarily all forms of propaganda - too many. Generally, propagandist wants to take existing views and canalize them in a direction that they desire.

Commodification

Associating a logically unrelated desire with an actual product can be called the "commodification" of desire. The desire itself becomes the product that the advertiser is selling. Commodification also = convincing people that the good they are buying is not something they want, but something they need. When you are hungry, you don't need food, you need mcdonalds. More generally, commodification = turning anything into a purchasable and desirable good. Bottled water is a good example.

Propaganda model's change on the internet

Barrier to entry eliminated. Advertising less important. Anybody can use anything as a source, no more official sourcing. All of interent provides flak easily. All of this is good, but traditional media is still the most consumed source of news.

Group Norms

Behaviors derived from membership to a group. Work, core culture, social. People follow group even if contradicts personal beliefs. Propagandist exploits conformation tendencies. Crowded condition = more homogenous effect. Large meetings in small areas to create impression of widespread support.

Why do politicians turn to Twitter?

Brings them closer to the electorate, and allows them to judge the public reaction to policies and political opinions prior to official announcements/press conferences.

Counterpropaganda

Can exist underground when media is completely controlled. Satellite transmission of opposition. Determine if counterpropaganda is clear to the public. Same 10 divisions of analysis can be applied.

Reaching a target audience

Can purchase information/mailing lists. Discount cards track purchases. New technologies allow propagandists to tailor their efforts to small groups. Also, target cultural leaders/journalists, and have them spread message. Variations in audience selection.

Integration and Agitation

Int. = maintenance of official views Agit. = rallying people behind a cause

Advertising's greatest delivery system

Is television. It is a commodity, and is a boost in and of itself. Artificial environments become active. Everyone shares the experience of tv, and it unifies them. Makes people easy to control. Smooths out furrows in the commodity system. Reduces knowledge outside of commodity life. Encourages passivity and inaction. Adds dimension to the mirror image process. Encourages separation, reducing organized opposition to the system.

Application of model to war in Iraq

Less focus on suffering of Iraqis, particularly a body count for US soldiers but not for Iraqis. U.S. Sources have only provided flak for any estimation. Information presented in US media distorts reality and these distortions created the support for the war.

Target Audience

Look at audience reaction, including adoption of language, slogans, attire. Purpose realized as part of the social scene?

Social Network

Made up of a) opinion leaders who may influence audience because of position b) small groups that include opinion leaders, propaganda agents, or both c) people who facilitate rumors innocently or deliberately. Information is received from media, and spread through network. Or public receives media, and sends to opinion leaders for clarification/confirmation. Can skip media, but network mostly mediating influence.

Main focus of media utilization

Main focus should be on how media is used. What effect will it likely have on the viewer? Flow of information between media outlets as well.

Determination of Propaganda as a process

Propaganda as a process is socially determined. Takes the form of message flow through a network system. Propagandist is influenced by historical background. The flow of information to and from an institution depends on the conditions of the times and availability of media. "If the times and conditions are right, the propagandist is a hero who shakes the tree when the fruit is ripe"

"It must be seen, understood, remembered, and acted on."

Qualter's common slogan for the basic criteria for successful propaganda

The definition of Ideology of Propaganda

The ideology of propaganda provides the audience with a comprehensive conceptual framework for dealing with social and political reality.

Model for Social Action

The ________ is that a person can rise above difficult circumstance and become a leader who can make a significant difference for those around them.

Why is Reality TV more appealing?

The characters are believed to be real, and the shows are improvisational rather than scripted. There is much less of a divide between the viewer and the people they are watching. These shows imply a portrayal of true human nature/reality. The shows generate adrenaline??? → relaxing afterward. These shows indirectly teach us that altruism = weak, deception = good, and influence of cultural value system.

Culture

_____ is a set of informal rules that spell out how people are to behave most of the time. That which is distinct to a way of life. Composed of rituals.

Institution

_______ fosters propaganda because of organization/financial power. Propaganda may maintain institutions legitimacy, etc. Maybe also agitate if outside of established order. Propagandists often hide affiliations to institutions. Esp. wartime espionage.

Cultural Rim

_______ refers to the social-historical context that composes the bounds of the propaganda process. ________ is the infrastructure that provides the material context in which messages are sent and received.

open system

_________: More flexible and accessible media that accepts/rejects messages without having to refer to higher authorities. Less filters. Audiences are less suspicious of propaganda, but more concerned that it exists.

closed system

___________: Outside information (Information originating outside of the system, not filtered by propagandist) cannot enter. North Korea.

Suburb-people

advertisers needed to create people who could function within and desired a suburban life (because suburbs = capitalistically favorable, and economically profitable). "suburb-peopole". Advertising seeks to homogenize, while creating the illusion of choice.