The Age of Personal Propaganda

Miriam-Webster defines propaganda as “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person as well as ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause”.

When most of us think of the word propaganda we often think of it as information disseminated by a government during wartime to either spread false rumors in an effort to deceive the enemy, or to lie to its own people to get them to assent to the will of the government. The perfect propaganda piece is built on a foundation of truth mixed in with either an omission of certain facts opposed to the argument, or total lies sprinkled among true statements. Either way, it is the most insidious type of manipulation because it makes one question what is true and what is false, even when presented with indisputable facts that are contrary to the lies.

Of course the greatest masters of propaganda were the Nazi’s whose propaganda machine, led by Joseph Goebbels, convinced a struggling yet peaceful nation to start a world war resulting in the deaths of 60 million people, including the extermination of 6 million Jews and others deemed genetically inferior to the “master race”. And it all started with half-truths mixed in with lies. I shudder to think what Goebbels could have done with the internet if it would have been available for his use. 

Unfortunately, the propaganda machine is still operating today but not necessarily in the same form. It is much worse and way more effective because it is delivered in the form of an information heat seeking missile targeted at each individual based on their own view of the world.

We often think that this information segregation began with the advent of the internet and social media. However, it really began with the dawn of the cable news industry. Before cable, the national news targeted a broad audience representing all segments of American society. As a result, the presentation of the news had to be somewhat balanced in order to keep all sides watching. Any teetering too far, either to the left or to the right, and the ratings would go down causing advertising revenue to fall. When cable news came along however, the opposite happened. News channels were able to target certain segments of the public by providing specific views or spin on the news that appealed to that segment. The news in effect became a form of propagandized entertainment.

This targeted propaganda was magnified tremendously with the advent of the internet and social media. It has bred a new form of “self-targeted propaganda” made possible by the search engines and social media sites which keep track of our every click and search.  This information is used to create a profile which is then run through certain algorithms in order to deliver information and news to your inbox and news feeds that is tailored to your beliefs.

For instance, if you are a conservative you will most likely select conservative news outlets and other content to follow, like, and share.  So when you scroll down your news feed you will only see information and news relative to your interests in issues and ideas on the right of the political spectrum, and likewise if you are on the left leaning side. 

The danger of this is that it creates a skewed view of the world because now all you see is information which confirms your preconceived beliefs, thus blinding you from counter arguments and other sources which present different and perhaps more correct information. As John Kennedy warned us, “Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

The purveyors of this information know this about you, their target, and they use this to hook you in…more clicks, more money. So lately for example, if you are a conservative, your stream is full of pictures and videos of protesters in the streets, rioters burning buildings, ANTIFA agitators yelling in the face of police officers, and black people beating up white people.

“The danger of this is that it creates a skewed view of the world because now all you see is information which confirms your preconceived beliefs, thus blinding you from counter arguments and other sources which present different and perhaps more correct information”.

If you are on the left, your stream is full of pictures and videos of police officers beating minorities, Trump supporters wearing swastikas, and whites pointing guns at black people. The more extreme the better because it keeps you clicking.

It becomes in effect a self-creating propaganda bubble because you are seeing a concentration of events that in and of themselves are small representations of the actual world in which we personally live. These are real events (in most cases) that are occurring somewhere in the world. However, if that is all you constantly see through your personal little window in your hand then you will feel like it is everywhere and feelings of impending doom will abound.

This results in feelings of stress, rage, hatred, worry, and a general sense that we live in a world that is out of control. It also serves to further the formation of tribalism which makes every person we encounter either “with us” or “against us” because after all, it is life or death, right? We lose the ability to have empathy for the other side because in order to empathize we have to be able to listen to other views and opinions. Notice I said listen, not necessarily agree.

“For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie–deliberate, contrived and dishonest–but the myth–persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

John F. Kennedy

In effect, we have become individuals living in small worlds cut off from any outside information or viewpoints. We are Balkanized and divided by race, politics, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and any number of other attributes. Is this any different than someone living in a totalitarian country like North Korea or China?  Different of course concerning the source but very similar in the outcome as far as the stifling of counter information.

So how do you begin the process of breaking through the self-imposed iron curtain? First, I recommend that you follow other sources of news that present different viewpoints. Try to resist the temptation to throw something at the T.V. or stop reading the news article. Trust me, it will be hard at first! However, there will be a payoff because one of two positive things will happen. Either you will learn something new that perhaps your “tribe” has not allowed you to hear before or, in the very least, it will reinforce and make stronger your faith in what you already believe. Furthermore, you will be even more prepared to challenge those on the other side by demonstrating actual knowledge and credibility.

I had a college professor who would ask us a question and then make us challenge our own answers from the opposite viewpoint. I later came to appreciate that what he was teaching us was how to think critically. I can still hear his voice saying to me, “Counterpoint, Mr. Riecke. Counterpoint!!”

Second, seek out people around you with whom you can have an honest discussion. I’m not talking about arguments but actual discussions where you genuinely show interest in what they have to say. Approach these interactions as an exercise to seek information and resist the urge to argue over each point. I guarantee you that you will learn something and gain the respect of the other person by showing them the respect of listening in a non-confrontational way. This respect shown to them can also payoff in the future by giving you an opportunity to share your view in a constructive way with them. To see how this was demonstrated by Jesus read my blog post, The Third Way. Also, try to follow the Apostle Paul’s advice and be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19).

Third, I recommend that you use the three source rule before sharing what you see on social media. So many times I’ve been able to flush out the bias in a story by reading different sources to come up with the whole truth. It sounds like a pain but it really doesn’t take much time to Google the topic to quickly see if it is legitimate or not.

And finally, pray to God to give you the courage, humility, and spirit of peace to be able to see the other side as God sees them. Remember, God’s grace was and is given to all of us through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. It is up to each of us to rise above the violent world ruled by man and Satan and to meet each other on the common ground of mutual understanding and peace.

“Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.”

Proverbs‬ ‭12:20‬