When scrolling through your news feed, it can be difficult to identify different manifestations of propaganda. Fortunately, there are often clues available that can indicate one has entered into the realm of misinformation. Or disinformation as is more often the case when dealing with digital propaganda.
These are some of the clues to watch out for.
“Let that sink in.”
“Let that sink in” is a multipurpose phrase.
1) It elevates the ideology to a place of dominance over any other perceptions.
2) Usually used with a partisan purpose, it implies that the other side of the debate is infused with either sinister motives or is the epitome of stupidity. What it really means is “I have all the authority in this debate. There is no validity to any other ideology other than my own.”
3) When partisan purpose is coupled with internet memes, “Let that sink in” can be used to embed tribal identity into the information, making it harder for the viewer (that’s you) to think critically about the content. This increases the likelihood of propaganda acceptance. This type often combines political tribal identity, confirmation bias, emotional reasoning, and superiority bias (also known as Illusory Superiority).
“This has been banned by Facebook”
Which is why you’re probably seeing it on Facebook. Usually, but not always, coupled with religious sentiment, these types of propaganda memes are designed to reinforce tribal identity with a flair of emotional victim-hood in order to rally the troops to preserve their own existence. It convinces individuals that their identity markers are under attack and makes them easier to manipulate in order to boost support behind specific causes.
Do not misunderstand me here. Sometimes people’s identities are under attack. This real world factor gives the propaganda a stronger impact. It is important to recognize this propaganda pattern in order to differentiate between those who are actively being marginalized in society and those seeking to create a perception of marginalization.
A false sense of marginalization can have dangerous effects in society.
“Thoughts?”
This is a more specialized form of manipulation not necessarily linked to propaganda. Often times, Facebook pages with high traffic can be bought and sold. There is (or was, as Facebook is cracking down on the practice) an entire underground market dedicated to the buying and selling of pages. Pages with higher followings and with increased participation and visibility are worth more. Sometimes the value of a page can reach upwards of $20,000 (read more here). Monetization of Facebook pages encourages the spread of controversial posts which often includes propaganda.
“Thoughts?” is unique in the sense that it is not visual propaganda. It is more likely to been seen used as a written post coupled with an article or meme. The more controversial the content, the more people are likely to engage with the post in order to share their opinions and defeat the other side. Sometimes it is also used in conjunction with fake news and hoaxes which can pull people in to offer other links of a debunking nature.
It’s a trap.
The page posting the original article isn’t interested in the content or in the responses. All they want to do is boost traffic. When an individual participates in any way, post visibility goes up as well as the monetary value of the page. “Thoughts?” will often end in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario for the viewer. I recommend authenticating the nature of the page before engaging in any way. Before one likes, shares, comments, or likes other comments.
“Like and Share,” “1 Like Equals 1 Prayer,” “Type Yes if You Agree….”
These memes operate very similarly to “Thoughts?” in that they are also used as traffic boosters for monetized pages. But, they are also very common forms of visual propaganda; the easiest to make, identify and the most common. They can be used for just about any form of perception reinforcement via emotional manipulation. Hillary Clinton boxing Jesus, support for a cancer victim, a police officer and his dog…the list goes on.
Repeat exposure to this type of imagery can have a build up effect on your perception. One piece here and there has a low impact, but they will play emotionally on your identity markers. The more you engage, the more manipulated your worldview becomes. Additionally, the more you engage in this type of content, the more Facebook’s relevancy algorithms will feed you propaganda sites, ads and pages. This can push you into a propaganda filled online filter bubble (more on filter bubbles at a later date).
Perception Without Information
One thing to look for is the lack of information. I like to say fact checking is in the details, propaganda is in the absence of details. Propaganda will create or reinforce a perception without actually providing any information. It can’t be falsified. This requires you to actively look at the content being presented, but if one can identify the absence of any verifiable information, one will be more adept at seeing the vast universe of propaganda dissemination.
Contextomy
“The practice of misquoting someone by shortening the quotation or by leaving out surrounding words that would place the quotation in context” (Dictionary.com).
Below is a fact check I put together and it is one the best examples I have of contextomy. The quote from Lincoln is true but incomplete. Using only part of a quote allows the meme creator to design their own emphasis on any thing they want, distorting meaning and using another’s identity to boost their own support. This is particularly powerful when well-loved people like Abe Lincoln or Founding Fathers are used.
Lincoln wrote this to an editor of the New York Tribune shortly before signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Notice how only one tiny fragment of a sentence is being used to create a perception. Lee’s quote is unverified but likely fabricated. The actual quote of Lee added to the meme is from a letter he wrote to his wife in 1856. In the letter he claims slavery is the will of God and a “spiritual liberty”. He believes abolitionists are working against God and oppressing the Southerner’s religious right to own slaves.
You can read Lincoln’s full letter to the editor here and Lee’s letter here.
Quotes from Founding Fathers
Following up on contextomy, recognizable names carry added weight. Some names carry stronger credibility while others generate more adverse reactions. If presented with a quote with the name “Abraham Lincoln” added, one is more likely to accept the content because, as an American hero, one does not want to disagree with him. Likewise, if presented with the same quote with the name “Adolf Hitler” tacked on at the bottom, one will instantly become more critical of the content.
The propaganda aspect comes in when names like Abe Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson are attributed to political or economic quotes reinforcing certain ideologies. Often times, these quotes are fabricated or misattributed and their origin is either some random person on the internet, or some obscure figure in history that no one has heard about.
These type of quote memes are also used to reinforce some form of the idea that “this is what the Founding Fathers wanted, ergo your position is wrong” in terms of political or economic practice. The truth is, however, there has never been a single ideology unanimously agreed upon. People naturally disagree about how best to run a society. They disagree now and they disagreed then.
“How old were you when you found out….”
BONUS: This isn’t usually indicative of propaganda, but is often a basic internet hoax. How old were you when you found out TAG is an acronym for the “touch and go” and that the lid of your Gatorade bottle fits on the bottom of the bottle (which would be a rather unsanitary practice). You were not today year’s old.
Both stories went viral, but neither one is true. Beware of viral hoaxes (which can also be used for boosting traffic on monetized pages).
The End Goal of the Propagandist
Remember, a propagandist wants to isolate you in your worldview and use your own perceptions against you. They want to confirm what you already believe (confirmation bias), tie you into emotional thinking (which ALWAYS erodes rational thought), convince you the world is against you (a perceived state of constant fear), demonize other ideologies, and force you into a filter bubble.
The ultimate goal is to get you to say “It’s true because it has to be. If it’s not true it doesn’t matter, the premise is true anyway.”
Don’t fall for it.
References
Basler, R. (Ed.). (n.d.). Abraham Lincoln’s Letter to Horace Greeley. Retrieved September 6, 2017, from http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley.htm
Contextomy. (2018). Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/contextomy
Emery, D. (2018, July 19). Fact check: Etymology of ‘Tag’. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tag-acronym-touch-and-go/
Evans, D. (2018, August 28). Fact check: Were Gatorade bottles designed with a cap holder on the bottom? Retrieved September 26, 2018, from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gatorade-bottles-cap-holder/
Letter to his wife on slavery. (1856, December 27). Retrieved September 6, 2017, from http://fair-use.org/robert-e-lee/letter-to-his-wife-on-slavery
