In the age of the internet, it has never been easier for propagandists to spread their viewpoints across the masses. Misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation float about the world wide web like a virus, and every minute people around the world fall victim to it. According to Bruegel, misinformation on the internet is 70% more likely to be spread than real information. When the public is able to be misled on such a large scale, things can become extremely dangerous. Some propaganda is more obvious than others, and when faced with a less-clear variant it is important to be equipped with the knowledge to take a deeper look and determine whether or not it is, in fact, propaganda.
Propaganda is a piece of biased/misleading information that pushes a specific view point. It is a tool that has been used again and again throughout history for a multitude of different reasons. There are many different types to look out for, and many different signs may point toward something being propaganda. Some common forms that propaganda can take include, but are not limited to: the Bandwagon Strategy, Glittering Generalities, and promoting an “us vs. them” mentality.
Bandwagon Strategy and Glittering Generalization are often used in marketing. The Bandwagon Strategy instills a fear of missing out, or FOMO, in people, and along with it the need to hop on the bandwagon and go along with the majority. According to Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), this strategy is the reason that politicians sell merchandise. Glittering Generalization is when general statements or phrases are used that are associated with positive ideas and feelings. Some examples of this form include slogans, such as Trump’s “Make America Great Again” or Biden’s “Build Back Better”. These taglines promote a sense of security, while also staying nonspecific in what the process to reaching that goal will be.
Glittering Generalities may also be used on a larger scale, though, painting a falsely-positive picture of something. The military is often a subject of this; posters encouraging people to join and fight for their country, superhero movies shouting the importance of being a “hero” to the masses, recruitment sites creating videos composed of clips from the army alongside a “cool” song, things of that sort. These methods only show the favorable part of the picture, and exclude all the negative parts. Many politicians have been accused of using Glittering Generalities in this way as well: When TikTok momentarily went down in the United States, users across the nation were extremely disappointed. When it went back up, however, everybody’s confusion was met with a push notification entirely accrediting the app’s reinstatement to President Trump: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”. Many regarded this message as this exact type of propaganda, reasoning that it attempted to paint Trump as a “hero” who “saved TikTok”, with the lack of real information in the message being a huge reason behind that accusation.
Propaganda can be extremely dangerous. Creating an “us vs. them” mentality inherently alienates a certain group, creating a sense of fear and unrest surrounding that group. When something negative happens, propagandists will blame it on that “othered” group without any real reasoning, thereby promoting themselves as a sort of “hero” in how they are targeting said group. The use of disinformation to push false narratives around certain ideas, groups, or people can have detrimental effects and serve to divide the nation into groups of “good” and “bad”. As stated by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, an example of this strategy is the propaganda spread during the Holocaust.
The most important sign that something may be a piece of propaganda is the information present. Misinformation and disinformation are the figureheads of misleading information in propaganda. According to EJUSA, misinformation is false information spread with or without intent of causing harm, while disinformation is false information spread with the intent of causing harm. Fact checking claims you see using reliable and unbiased sources is always important. The presentation is also a huge factor- movies or videos painting fighting in wars to be desirable, or graphics depicting politicians as larger than life heroes should always be regarded as propaganda.
It is important to remember that no one is ever immune to propaganda. Young people are especially susceptible, and that susceptibility comes with a higher likelihood of spreading it. It is incredibly important that younger generations are taught the signs to look out for. Being equipped with the ability to tell the difference between real and false information is essential to avoiding falling for propaganda and disinformation. Ask yourself these questions: What was the intent behind this post? How much of the information presented here is false? What information here is missing? Dissecting media and statements more thoroughly and identifying the signs is a good way to make yourself less susceptible to propaganda.
