We know that the "P" word is not appropriate to talk about in most social settings. The government even suppresses the use of this term. Social media typically censors the use of the "P" word. Going along with the theme of this blog, I am going to discuss supressed topics, openly.
The Impact of The "P" Word on Society
Propaganda was used heavily during World Wars I and II. It was used to leverage the fear of war to motivate people to buy war bonds and join the pro-war effort. During these times, anti-war voices were heavily supressed in all aspects of life.
Efforts to use fear to persuade an audience are present today. In some of the most recent efforts to push propaganda, social media users created graphics and pushed messages to spark fear in an audience to wear a mask to stop the spread of COVID-19. Messages induced fear and forced people to make a decision. As propaganda can be both positive and negative, it all serves the purpose of leading people to think a certain way.
Often when we think of propagonda, we think of it in the negative. In this case, it is considered as deceptive advertising. With the intent to mislead an audience, deceptive content creates mistrust and a polarizing environment. Misleading content is also known as disinformation. People vary over time in their trust in the government, news media, social media, and others around them. We saw a spike in distrust in these organizations during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic due to instances where these channels participated in the spread of disinformation. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find credible sources and credible content.
Be sure to fact check before believing and often expose yourself to opposing ideas!
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