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NEET
- Jul 19, 2021
- 4,674
Here are a few methods that propagandists/compliance professionals use. Social proof, repetition and authority are what seems to be the most used on a widescale level in normal day to day life. These aren't a full list of methods but I'd say it's pretty comprehensive. What methods do you believe have the most impact? Do you believe yourself to be immune from propaganda?
Sources
Leonward W. Doob: Propaganda (American director of WW2 propaganda)
Jacques Ellul: Propaganda The Formation of Men's Attitudes
Edward Bernays: Propaganda
Robert B. Cialdini: Influence: Science and Practice
1. Bandwagon Effect: This method involves creating a sense of urgency or importance by suggesting that everyone else is doing it, so you should too. It uses peer pressure to influence people's decisions.
2. Transfer: This technique transfers the positive or negative qualities of one person, object, or idea to another person, object, or idea. For example, if a politician associates themselves with successful leaders from history, it can transfer their popularity onto themself.
3. Testimonials: This method relies on endorsements from respected individuals (celebrities) who vouch for the product/service being promoted; this helps build trust and credibility among potential customers/voters etcetera...
4 Glittering Generalities : These are powerful words like "freedom," "justice," and "democracy" that evoke strong emotions without necessarily having any concrete meaning attached to them - thus allowing propagandists manipulate public opinion more easily since these terms tend resonate deeply within our psyche regardless whether they actually apply situation at hand...
5. Card Stacking: This technique involves presenting only selective information that supports one's argument while omitting or downplaying any contradictory evidence. It creates a biased viewpoint by controlling the flow of information.
6. Name-Calling: This method uses derogatory language to label opponents or those who disagree with you, making them appear less credible and more negative in the eyes of the audience. It can also be used to dehumanize enemies during wartime propaganda campaigns etcetera...
7. Social proof: People generally look to other people similar to themselves when making decisions. This is particularly noticeable in situations of uncertainty or ambiguity. This trait has led compliance professionals to provide fake information on what others are doing. Examples of this are staged interviews on television advertisements, laughing tracks and "infomercials"
8. Repetition: Repeating key messages over and over again helps reinforce them into people's minds; thus making them more likely remember and believe said message even if initially skeptical about its validity...
9. Scapegoating: This technique involves blaming an individual or group for all the problems faced by society, thereby diverting attention away from real issues and creating a sense of unity against a common enemy. It can be used to rally support for certain policies or actions that might otherwise be unpopular.
10. Euphemism: Using vague, innocuous language to describe unpleasant realities helps make them more palatable to audiences; thus allowing propagandists manipulate public opinion more easily since these terms tend resonate deeply within our psyche regardless whether they actually apply situation at hand...
11. Authority: People often react in an automated fashion to commands from authority and even to symbols of authority (such as academic degrees, uniforms, expensive cars, etc.), even when their instincts suggest the commands should not be followed.
12. Commitment and consistency: People have a general desire to appear consistent in their behavior. Propagandists can exploit the desire to be consistent by having someone make an initial, often small, commitment, known as the "foot-in-the-door technique". Requests can then be made that are in keeping with this initial commitment.
13. Escalation of commitment: is a human behavior pattern in which an individual or group facing increasingly negative outcomes from a decision, action, or investment nevertheless continue the behavior instead of altering course. The actor maintains behaviors that are irrational, but align with previous decisions and actions.
14. Liking:
People are more likely to agree to offers from people whom they like. There are several factors that can influence people to like some people more than others:
15. Reciprocation: People generally feel obliged to return favors offered to them. This trait is embodied in all human cultures and is one of the human characteristics that allow us to live as a society. Compliance professionals often play on this trait by offering a small gift to potential customers. Studies have shown that even if the gift is unwanted, it will influence the recipient to reciprocate. A variation on this theme, known as the "attack-retreat-attack", is to ask for a particularly big favor. When this is turned down, a smaller favor is asked for. This is likely to be successful because a concession on one side (the down-scaling of the favor) will be reciprocated by a concession by the other party (agreement to the smaller favor).
16. Scarcity: People tend to want things as they become less available. This has led advertisers to promote goods as "limited availability", or "short time only" even if this is false.
17. Unity: People value being part of a team or group. It can create an Us vs. Them mentality.
18. Technique of Incomprehension: This technique involves presenting information in such a way that it cannot be understood or processed by the audience, thereby making them more susceptible to manipulation. It creates confusion and uncertainty, which can be exploited by propagandists.
19. Technique of Diversion: This method diverts attention away from important issues by focusing on less significant ones or creating distractions altogether; thus preventing people from thinking critically about what really matters at hand...
20. Technique of Dislocation: This approach involves removing an issue from its original context and placing it within another one where it may appear more favorable/less threatening etcetera...
21. Technique of Fear: This method uses fear to manipulate people's emotions and actions; it can be used to create support for certain policies or actions that might otherwise be unpopular. For example, during wartime propaganda campaigns, fear of the enemy is often exploited to rally support for military intervention.
22. Technique of Innuendo: Hinting at something without directly stating it allows propagandists imply certain ideas/associations without taking responsibility themselves; thus making their messages more persuasive while also remaining deniable if challenged later on...
23. Technique of Polarization: Presenting issues as black-and-white choices helps simplify complex problems into binary oppositions; thus making them easier for audiences grasp without having analyze all possible nuances/implications etcetera
24. Technique of Dehumanization: This method involves portraying opponents as less than human, thereby making it easier to justify harmful actions against them. It can be used to justify war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities by dehumanizing the enemy.
Sources
Leonward W. Doob: Propaganda (American director of WW2 propaganda)
Jacques Ellul: Propaganda The Formation of Men's Attitudes
Edward Bernays: Propaganda
Robert B. Cialdini: Influence: Science and Practice
1. Bandwagon Effect: This method involves creating a sense of urgency or importance by suggesting that everyone else is doing it, so you should too. It uses peer pressure to influence people's decisions.
2. Transfer: This technique transfers the positive or negative qualities of one person, object, or idea to another person, object, or idea. For example, if a politician associates themselves with successful leaders from history, it can transfer their popularity onto themself.
3. Testimonials: This method relies on endorsements from respected individuals (celebrities) who vouch for the product/service being promoted; this helps build trust and credibility among potential customers/voters etcetera...
4 Glittering Generalities : These are powerful words like "freedom," "justice," and "democracy" that evoke strong emotions without necessarily having any concrete meaning attached to them - thus allowing propagandists manipulate public opinion more easily since these terms tend resonate deeply within our psyche regardless whether they actually apply situation at hand...
5. Card Stacking: This technique involves presenting only selective information that supports one's argument while omitting or downplaying any contradictory evidence. It creates a biased viewpoint by controlling the flow of information.
6. Name-Calling: This method uses derogatory language to label opponents or those who disagree with you, making them appear less credible and more negative in the eyes of the audience. It can also be used to dehumanize enemies during wartime propaganda campaigns etcetera...
7. Social proof: People generally look to other people similar to themselves when making decisions. This is particularly noticeable in situations of uncertainty or ambiguity. This trait has led compliance professionals to provide fake information on what others are doing. Examples of this are staged interviews on television advertisements, laughing tracks and "infomercials"
8. Repetition: Repeating key messages over and over again helps reinforce them into people's minds; thus making them more likely remember and believe said message even if initially skeptical about its validity...
9. Scapegoating: This technique involves blaming an individual or group for all the problems faced by society, thereby diverting attention away from real issues and creating a sense of unity against a common enemy. It can be used to rally support for certain policies or actions that might otherwise be unpopular.
10. Euphemism: Using vague, innocuous language to describe unpleasant realities helps make them more palatable to audiences; thus allowing propagandists manipulate public opinion more easily since these terms tend resonate deeply within our psyche regardless whether they actually apply situation at hand...
11. Authority: People often react in an automated fashion to commands from authority and even to symbols of authority (such as academic degrees, uniforms, expensive cars, etc.), even when their instincts suggest the commands should not be followed.
12. Commitment and consistency: People have a general desire to appear consistent in their behavior. Propagandists can exploit the desire to be consistent by having someone make an initial, often small, commitment, known as the "foot-in-the-door technique". Requests can then be made that are in keeping with this initial commitment.
13. Escalation of commitment: is a human behavior pattern in which an individual or group facing increasingly negative outcomes from a decision, action, or investment nevertheless continue the behavior instead of altering course. The actor maintains behaviors that are irrational, but align with previous decisions and actions.
14. Liking:
People are more likely to agree to offers from people whom they like. There are several factors that can influence people to like some people more than others:
- Physical attractiveness can give people a halo effect whereby others are more likely to trust them and to think of them as smarter and more talented.
- People tend to like people who are most like themselves.
- People tend to like those who pay them compliments.
- People who they are forced to cooperate with to achieve a common goal tend to form a trust with those people.
- People tend to like people that make them laugh. For example, many lectures start with a joke.
15. Reciprocation: People generally feel obliged to return favors offered to them. This trait is embodied in all human cultures and is one of the human characteristics that allow us to live as a society. Compliance professionals often play on this trait by offering a small gift to potential customers. Studies have shown that even if the gift is unwanted, it will influence the recipient to reciprocate. A variation on this theme, known as the "attack-retreat-attack", is to ask for a particularly big favor. When this is turned down, a smaller favor is asked for. This is likely to be successful because a concession on one side (the down-scaling of the favor) will be reciprocated by a concession by the other party (agreement to the smaller favor).
16. Scarcity: People tend to want things as they become less available. This has led advertisers to promote goods as "limited availability", or "short time only" even if this is false.
17. Unity: People value being part of a team or group. It can create an Us vs. Them mentality.
18. Technique of Incomprehension: This technique involves presenting information in such a way that it cannot be understood or processed by the audience, thereby making them more susceptible to manipulation. It creates confusion and uncertainty, which can be exploited by propagandists.
19. Technique of Diversion: This method diverts attention away from important issues by focusing on less significant ones or creating distractions altogether; thus preventing people from thinking critically about what really matters at hand...
20. Technique of Dislocation: This approach involves removing an issue from its original context and placing it within another one where it may appear more favorable/less threatening etcetera...
21. Technique of Fear: This method uses fear to manipulate people's emotions and actions; it can be used to create support for certain policies or actions that might otherwise be unpopular. For example, during wartime propaganda campaigns, fear of the enemy is often exploited to rally support for military intervention.
22. Technique of Innuendo: Hinting at something without directly stating it allows propagandists imply certain ideas/associations without taking responsibility themselves; thus making their messages more persuasive while also remaining deniable if challenged later on...
23. Technique of Polarization: Presenting issues as black-and-white choices helps simplify complex problems into binary oppositions; thus making them easier for audiences grasp without having analyze all possible nuances/implications etcetera
24. Technique of Dehumanization: This method involves portraying opponents as less than human, thereby making it easier to justify harmful actions against them. It can be used to justify war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities by dehumanizing the enemy.
