Age of Propaganda is on the list because I know how much of a cultural change vehicle media messaging is. I will see how any of these tactics discussed have been used thoughtfully through the historical RJ texts.
Abstract
Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion describes how our world is manipulated by many different powers that are trying to get populations to behave in certain ways. Those actions can be willful, or not, depending on the efficacy and success of the propaganda artists. The purpose of this book was to give people the knowledge to recognize propaganda in action, and the skills to resist its influence in society. This is an updated version that caught some of the political scandals of the late 90's and beginning of the 2000s, with its shift into mass media and the growth of the internet.
My main takeaways are as follows;
Persuasion is built on the process of rational thought and worldview.
Propaganda intentionally manipulates the content and delivery of messaging to influence individuals.
"As the populace becomes less informed, the propagandist must use even more simplistic persuasion devices. The result is an ignorance spiral." I believe we are in an ocean full of these spiraling riptides.
Author: Anthony Pratkanis, Elliot Aronson
Overview
The book is organized into seven major sections; The Psychology of Everyday Persuasion; Pre-Persuasion- Setting The Stage For Effective Influence; Communicator Credibility- Real And Manufactured; The Message And How It Is Delivered; Emotional Appeals- Touch The Heart, Persuade The Mind; When Information Fails- The Challenge Of Propaganda To Society; and Counteracting The Tactics of Propaganda. Each chapter therein flows between stories, data, and analysis of the section topic. The flow of the book is for the person whose attention span is worn down by mass media. It has so many examples and anecdotes that it felt erratic for my researcher mind. However, I think the format was appropriate for the general audience and demonstrative of the breadth of issues at hand in the age of propaganda.
Highlights & Synthesis
The highlight for me was my actual highlighter; I dried out my highlighter on this book. It was rich with quotes and information stretching to the Greek and Roman empires. Its blend of psychology, sociology, and storytelling with a liberal bias should capture many readers. The sections giving a synopsis of academic research and data points on the scale of media consumption were striking, especially since this edition is now 20 years old. The propagandist tricks and tips within are evergreen, though.
The parts of the book that were most impactful to me were their stories about sociopolitical movements. Propaganda has contributed to the creation of movements throughout history, of varying benefit to society. I read this book to learn about the strategic purpose of propaganda to create positive movements and also dismantle them. I wanted the plays that can help me frame my questions of leaders and organizers in the Reproductive Justice movement. Chapter 33, "On the Ineffectiveness of Information Campaigns", the section on messaging and emotional appeals were incredibly relevant in my understanding of the current messaging of Reproductive Justice. My key question after reading this book is how is this movement approaching education and propaganda, juxtaposed with its relatively modest funding structure and present opposition?
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