The Everyday Uses of Propaganda Techniques
Caitlin Matthew
27483147
February 19, 2016
Coms 361

Propaganda has been associated with both the terms technique and phenomenon, and it’s been questioned as to which term it best meets. The Webster dictionary defines phenomenon as “something (such as an interesting fact or event) that can be observed and studied and that typically is unusual or difficult to understand or explain fully”, and technique is defined as “a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill”. I believe that propaganda as a whole is always a technique, the technique of trying to convince people of certain messages and ideas, and only in particular propaganda messages, not in all circumstances, are they subject to being a phenomenon, which is why propaganda, in its entirety, cannot be called a phenomenon, and this essay will argue why this is true.

Propaganda is a technique, ancient, well known and studied; employed in all politics, religions, ideologies, and of course in every sales method known to man. “Propaganda is itself a technique, resulting partly from the application of the social sciences, including psychology, to technology. It is a technique used to promote acceptance of other techniques” (Marlin 2013, 23). There are multiple different forms of technique that propaganda uses, such as emotional appeals which aim at getting an emotional attachment out of the individual, or such as the use of morally evaluative language, which uses words to convey a moral that will affect the understanding or feeling towards an idea, activity, person or group (94, 96). Often propaganda uses techniques to drive an agenda or reinforce existing attitudes (Shah 2005). All these techniques have one main goal; propaganda is trying to illicit a yes from its targeted audience (Murphy 2016, Lesson 2, Slide 2). It requires thought out and studied techniques in order for the message to succeed in this, therefore all propaganda is a technique within itself. To call it a phenomenon you'd have to be innocently optimistic, and therefore rather gullible, as you are in effect believing that absurd and “unbelievable” propaganda messages are always truthful. If you believe people are truthful by nature, then propaganda is a phenomenon in the sense that it is an anomaly to the norm. But I say it isn't. It's used in everything, for any purpose intended to succeed/survive. Propaganda is always carrying hidden agendas of intentions that we are often unaware of, and it uses effective techniques and insights into human nature in order to achieve the agenda they are pursuing (Shah 2005).

The root of propaganda can be seen to derive from the basic human survival instinct; one cannot look inadequate in comparison with one's peers, as one may suffer consequences that impact on one's survival/success. It comes down to competition. Therefore, one says what he needs to say to proceed or succeed. Risk-reward calculations, and the degree to which one thinks one can get away with it, will determine just how far one may be tempted to manipulate reality or the opinions of others; the technique of propaganda. In general, if a belief propelled by propaganda (a communication technique) takes hold, it could result in an observable event (mass denial, mass hatred, mass violence, etc.), but it would only be remarkable because it was unusual and difficult to explain. Propaganda, in many instances, results in no significant change in the consumer, and in its simplest form is really no more than the organizations of techniques designed to persuade people to think and act a certain way (Vidal n.d.) All that to say, there are countless instances of the technique of propaganda (watch any advertisement) that do not create any kind of phenomenon because it represents the norm. Bandwagon advertising for instance, uses a number of propaganda techniques to convince individuals that its products are worth buying, however bandwagon advertising, for the most part, is not a phenomenon (Root 2016). If we look at a Coke vs. Pepsi commercial for example, which seeks to “win over the crowd” by tarnishing the name of its competitor, we can see it uses various propaganda techniques which are not a phenomenon (Root 2016). However, the interpretation of a phenomenon is relative and you could say the same about propaganda. For me though, phenomenon is something that is outside the norm, therefore I am inclined to disagree that all types of propaganda are a phenomenon. Someone who believes, for example, that cigarettes aren't all that bad for you was perfectly accepting of the propaganda from the tobacco industry that suggested for decades that there's no definitive proof that tobacco causes cancer. So in that case you might argue that the belief in the propaganda of that particular subject, or another which is ridiculous and unbelievable, is a phenomenon.

Let’s take the denial of climate change for instance. It certainly is a phenomenon that something so completely certain and proven by thousands of scientists in dozens of countries over decades could be denied by so many utterly ignorant people just from listening to the propaganda emanating from self-interested media outlets. At the same time, that very propaganda is the result of studied techniques by the fossil fuel industry (oil, gas and particularly mining, the Koch brothers are paramount here) and the corporate media, techniques which are trying to blindly condition your brain to their message. Political advertising let’s say, which could most definitely be considered propaganda can be fairly normal and unremarkable of which could be reiterating something of the norm, but which uses a lot of techniques to exaggerate this norm and get more people on board, and therefore get elected. For example, Obama’s campaign message “Obama’s prescription for a sick economy”. The use of words, which is quite manipulative —“prescription” and “sick”— is most definitely propaganda and it is trying to manipulate the voters into agreeing with this message, but in no way is it a phenomenon since there is nothing outside the norm of putting forth a message to fix the well known, suffering economy at the time. It is rather, just a technique in getting elected. The light heartedness of a topic, this specific example for instance, blinds people to the point that they are unaware that they are reading a message of propaganda and unaware of how truly common it is, especially when it is in its most simplest form (Vidal d.n.). These light hearted forms of propaganda are not a phenomenon, but techniques to pursue a hidden agenda.

So the technique of propaganda is not a phenomenon in itself, but if successful —if it is believed— it can lead to a social, political, economic, religious or ideological phenomenon. So you always have the propaganda technique, but it doesn't always result in a phenomenon. Propaganda, whether we realize it or not, is present in our everyday lives, and the reason why we may not realize we are subjected to propaganda is because of the techniques that are studied and utilized for us, the consumer of the message, to not be aware that we are being manipulated into believing a message. I suggest that there be more studies on the techniques of propaganda in order for more people to be aware that they are being subjected to it, that way we will be less likely of getting manipulated by propaganda messages.

Bibliography

Class material:
Marlin, Randal. Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion. 2nd ed. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 2013. eConcordia.

Murphy, Dennis. "Truth." Lecture, Montreal, January, 2016. Accessed February 15, 2016. http://www.econcordia.com/courses/propaganda/lesson6_sm/020.aspx.

Outside sources:
Root, George. "Examples of Bandwagon Advertising Propaganda Techniques." Examples of Bandwagon Advertising Propaganda Techniques. January 1, 2016. Accessed February 17, 2016. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-bandwagon-advertising-propaganda-techniques-17411.html.

Shah, Anup. "War, Propaganda and the Media." - Global Issues. March 31, 2005. Accessed February 19, 2016. http://www.globalissues.org/article/157/war-propaganda-and-the-media.

Vidal, David. "Propaganda Is Everywhere." Stanford Web. Accessed February 16, 2016. http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/War%20Reporting%20on%20the%20U.S.%20War%20in%20Iraq.htm

Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 15, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/.