Key Post: Propaganda

     Propaganda is especially biased and/or misleading information that is used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Used often and mostly controversial, propaganda has both pros and cons. Some positive aspects of propaganda are that its effective, persuasive and comes in many forms such as music, movies, posters, social media posts, blogs, etc. Famous propaganda movies include Animal Farm, The Memphis Belle, The North Star, and The Nazis Strike. Famous propaganda songs include Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name, Green Day - American Idiot, Lil Baby - The Bigger Picture, and N.W.A - F**k The Police. These examples of propaganda in the entertainment industry are arguably the most effective as they are likely to reach both the audiences of the musicians/filmmakers as well as those attracted to the topics they portray. Negative aspects of propaganda are that it can contain skewed data or misinformation, the effectiveness of propaganda is directly linked to the topic, its effectiveness lessens over time which can lead to backlash, and its manipulative. In terms of effectiveness being linked directly to the topic, we've seen over the course of history that propaganda has been much more popular with big topics such as World War I and II, the Civil Rights Movement, the LGBTQ movement, and COVID-19. The reason behind this is simple; more people view the propaganda because many are interested in the issue at hand. Propaganda lessens in effect over time since more reliable information becomes available and the flaws/misinformation of the propaganda get exposed. 

    The effects of propaganda on all groups of society and society as a whole are undeniable. All social changes/movements use propaganda as a keystone for change and have over the course of history. Every one of the movements/groups seeking change mentioned earlier (U.S. Government with WWI and WWII, the Civil Rights Movement, the LBGTQ movements, and health workers with the coronavirus) have all used propaganda in order to achieve their goals. In terms of the effect propaganda has had on all different groups in society, specific pieces of propaganda may affect some groups more than others, but ultimately every single group has benefited and suffered from the use of propaganda. A prime example of this is women's suffrage. As women were trying to earn their right to vote, both those in favor of and opposed to the movement used propaganda in an attempt to sway Americans either one way or the other. This has been the case with all issues in which multiple sides with different opinions clash. In today's world, online propaganda has risen to the forefront as a new and crucial way for a movement to gain followers and spread its ideas. However, despite this innovation in technology, it is much easier for people to believe the misinformation that is embedded in propaganda as it can easily appear to be factual. This has effected our generation more than any other, as many people believe false information, radical ideas, and conspiracy theories.

    Links:

• The Pros And Cons Of Propaganda (rferl.org)

• War Propaganda | AHA (historians.org)

• Misinformation, Disinformation, and Online Propaganda (Chapter 2) - Social Media and Democracy (cambridge.org)

• The 50 Greatest Protest Songs (radiox.co.uk)