Propaganda

Communication allows us to receive so much valuable information. But there is some information being distributed on this planet you don't want.

Propaganda
Types

Advertising
Censorship
Periodicals
Television
Radio
Internet
Books

Humanities Interactive
Well presented collection of various exhibitions.

Propaganda
The goal of advertising is to sell a product. This is often achieved by suggesting that the product is a necessity in your life. If you purchase promoted product, the ad may convey that you will experience enhanced popularity, health, comfort, enjoyment appearance. Some advertisements don’t even attempt to promote the product. A beer commercial may show a young, handsome man practically being worshipped by gorgeous women. The advertisement’s message isn’t that their beer tastes good; it’s that drinking their beer will improve your social status. And it certainly doesn’t mention the hazards of consuming alcohol.

The persuasive ad described above using a technique called propaganda. Propaganda is a form of communication where information is presented to produce specific attitudes of actions. In other words, only one side of the story is presented. While this is can be achieved by distorting key facts, it is usually presented subjectively. Criminal defence lawyers don’t lie when they presents their cases; they simply emphasize certain aspects of the information that will benefit their clients. Propaganda is presented in religion, politics, business, and in everyday life. During WWII, Nazis told their German citizens that people of the Jewish religion were bad. Non-jewish citizens of the country, who were otherwise kind, rational people, attempted to annihilate the ethnic group. To them, it seemed right. Meanwhile, other countries didn’t agree with the Nazis, and told their citizens the Germans were ruthless murderers. War resulted, and much of the twentieth century was spend filled with hatred. While this is among the most grave cases, it demonstrates the sheer power of influential communication.

Types
There are five propaganda techniques commonly used in advertising. They all attempt to persuade the viewer that having the product will enhance your life.

Bandwagon: letting the viewer know other people are using the product.
Testimonial: where a specific person (often a celebrity) explains how the product has enhanced their life.
Transfer: where the image - body, name, etc. of a person is used in relation to the product.
Repetition: Repeating the product’s name many times.
Emotion: Using images that will make you feel strongly about something.

Sources
Click here for a list of sources used in this project.
Glossary
All the words in bold are found in the Glossary. If you don't understand a word, click on the beside it, to go directly to the Glossary Page.
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