Blog #11: EOTO Recation

A topic that caught my attention during presentations today was Propaganda. This is a topic I know more about but being able to hear someone really talk in depth on it was very interesting. In case you aren't familiar, propaganda is a tool used to manipulate people’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Although it might seem like a modern tactic, the term “propaganda” became widespread in the United States during the early 1910s, particularly during the beginning of World War I. The concept of propaganda is far from new and continues to play a significant role in shaping public opinion today. Governments, political groups, and media outlets often use it to promote their agendas and influence the masses. We see it a lot in the news, especially in channels that are known to have strong opinions one way or the other. New sources won’t necessarily always show something fake or made up but they will take something that was stated or done and twist it to have different meaning in order to make viewers feel a certain way about a topic.

Propaganda can take many different forms, including posters, speeches, films, and more recently, social media campaigns. It typically appeals more to emotion than to logic and like I mentioned it aims to cause strong feelings like fear, pride, or anger in regards to a topic in the news. While it can sometimes be seen as an effective way to rally people behind a certain cause, it also has the potential to spread misinformation and suppress alternative viewpoints, which makes it both a powerful and dangerous tool. There are other ways to rally people without the use of propaganda and stretching the truth but still today we haven’t seen any signs of propaganda becoming less popular. 

One of the most interesting aspects of propaganda I learned through the presentation is how subtly it can influence individuals. Often people may not even realize they are being swayed by it and it can be hard to identify at times. By repeating certain messages or presenting information in a compelling way, propaganda can shape beliefs and behaviors without the audience being fully aware of its impact. I know I have definitely fallen for propaganda and I bet you have too without even realizing. This makes it an especially effective means of control, as it can operate under the radar while still achieving its goals. Remember to always do research and I encourage you to try and catch some propaganda in our news sources the next time you are watching.