Manipulation of Opinions with Propaganda

To understand how certain events took place in history, it is vital to look at the effect propaganda had and still has on its people. By definition, propaganda is the spreading of information that may be biased to promote or oppose one’s cause. In actuality, propaganda is much more complicated and powerful than this definition can convey. By studying how the brain works, social scientists have discovered fundamental patterns in human thinking that are more susceptible to being influenced by opinion. In turn, they have developed methods that could maximally kick those patterns into gear. Unbeknownst to many, these methods of propaganda have been affecting people from ancient periods until today where some have even become desensitized to it, due to overexposure. This increase in propaganda originated during World War One (WWI) when printing and new technologies increased as a result. Before, propaganda was used sparingly in situations of conflict and religious persuasion. During the war, both sides were utilizing it to promote their side and to oppose their adversaries. From then until now propaganda has been utilized in similar ways. Instead of recruiting for a World War through posters and movies, terrorists have been using propaganda through social media to fight for their cause in a different country and culture. Whatever the incentive, propaganda has been proven to be effective at changing an opinion. This is because during WWI the use of propaganda was drastically increased and distributed globally for the first time making it more accessible.

The scientific explanation behind why propaganda can be so effective was a powerful discovery that lead to a whole new world. Researchers found that when someone is presented with a piece of propaganda, they respond with their emotional centers of the brain before their intellectual centers. For example, name-calling the enemy can make the audience see the enemy as inhuman and induce a sense of fear. Making glittering generalities about the ally can create a feeling of patriotism and pride to do something. Looking at the piece of propaganda a second time and thinking about the message that is being conveyed, the audience may realize that the enemies are people just like them, or that it is not right to feel pride about destroying another group of people. Researchers also found that people are more likely to be persuaded when they are being emotionally appealed to rather than being presented with facts. In the end, the facts end up being ignored and people believe in their opinion more strongly. The reason for this strong headedness can be quoted by risk perception and communication author David Ropeik who says, “We are social animals instinctively reliant on our tribe for safety and protection. Any disloyalty literally feels dangerous, like the tribe will kick you out.”

Ropeik is saying that changing someone’s initial opinion goes against human nature because people fear being isolated from the group they originally affiliated with. In the Stone Age being isolated from the group could be the death of a person, so initiating that by disagreeing with their party’s beliefs would not be worth the sacrifice. Instead, they would join a bandwagon as to not feel left out. This bandwagon propaganda method can be made even stronger through the testimonial method, which is when a celebrity or professional figure endorses a particular belief. Throughout history, these propaganda methods along with many others have been heavily used to influence many opinions.

The use of propaganda is not a recent discovery like many believe. It goes back to the most ancient civilizations in history. One such civilization are the ancient Greeks. Since the Greeks did not have physical outlets to print and distribute their propaganda on, they instead hosted games, festivals, and performed plays to sway people’s opinions. These methods proved very effective as people had not yet built a tolerance to it like today. Despite the use of propaganda this early on, it did not receive its name until the early 1600s when Pope Gregory XIII assigned three of his cardinals de propaganda fide to spread Catholicism. In 1622 Pope Gregory XI established a formal organization from this small group called Congregazione per la Propagazione della Fede, which translates to Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Until the 1800s, the word propaganda was used mostly in a religious context. This is why the basis of propaganda is associated with faith rather than logic. On occasion, propaganda would be used in situations of conflict. For example, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere sparked the American Revolution by distributing pamphlets among the thirteen colonies to gain support to fight for their freedom. Once propaganda was beginning to be used in Revolutions, the use of it during a War seemed inevitable.

Print propaganda faced a drastic increase during WWI due to being under government control. In the Harvard Library collection, there are forty-four large volumes in the English language. Governments utilized propaganda to make the audience hate the enemy, support their allies, and participate in the war. A well-known poster commissioned by The British Parliamentary Recruiting Committee in 1915 was a daughter asking her father, “Daddy, what did you do in the Great War?” This poster and many alike were aimed at adults who were not participating in the war feel like “slackers.” To make it even more effective, children were used to contribute to the social pressure of joining the war. On the other hand, German propaganda used more of a name calling approach. They often illustrated and described the Allies as stupid or brutal. One piece was the Humoristische Karte von Europa im Jahre 1914 caricature map depicting the personalities of the different European countries. In this map, Germany and its allies are portrayed as strong soldiers fighting back against the enemy. In terms of the Allies, Russia was portrayed as a vicious drunk that was going to destroy Germany and England as a money seeker that screwed over everyone. As WWI went on and the brutality continued, the production of these maps ended. As print propaganda increased, propaganda also began to take a new form.

The technological invention of the motion pictures during the early 1890s added to the increase of propaganda. By the time the war had started, governments decided to use film as a tool to sway their citizen’s opinions. Zepped (1916) was a short British comedy film about a German Zeppelin bombing raid over London. The film was aimed to boost the morales of people who were affected by the bombings. On a whole other level, Germany realized early on how effective film could be at controlling people’s opinions. In 1915 German officials set up the American Correspondent Film Company (ACFC) in the United States to control the people’s opinions in the currently neutral country. The first film produced was The Battle and Fall of Przemysl (1915). It was aimed to promote the successful Austro-German offensive at the Eastern Front against the Russian forces. When it premiered in New York City, many critics were impressed by the film. The Billboard wrote, 'It was generally agreed by those present that the films were the most remarkable of the many battle pictures so far shown in this country.” Variety magazine wrote, 'It is so well photographed that one might for a minute suspect it was staged for the benefit of the camera” With this positive feedback the ACFC continued making films until it was dismantled in late 1915 when it was made illegal to export goods to Germany. Despite the short run of the ACFC, the films it produced were still able to change people’s opinions about their opponents.

After WWI, books began to expose the true nature and purpose of propaganda. Writers found that most of the propaganda distributed during WWI contained exaggerations and lies, which gave it its negative connotation. One such writer’s opinion was Agnes Repplier who wrote, “One of the ill turns done us by the war was the investing of this ancient and honorable word with a sinister significance, making it at once a term of reproach and the plague and torment of our lives.” While this is an exaggeration, Repplier represented many people's opinions on propaganda. People began to regret their participation and felt that propaganda had contributed to an unnecessary war resulting in fear and suspicion of propaganda. Many loved ones were lost or injured in horrific ways for no reason. As a result, people were having psychological uncertainties and moral confusion about everything that had happened or what they had done. Instead of blaming themselves, people began to look for someone or something else to blame. One thing they blamed was Catholicism, which in turn started to gain a new distrust. During this time, propaganda began to be associated with wartime activities, something that people no longer supported.

A major problem in the 20th century is the recruitment of Westerners by ISIS to fight in the Middle East. ISIS attracts many young individuals because the terrorist group can provide a sense of purpose in life that many adolescents are seeking. Using social media, ISIS spends hundreds of hours showing people how the problems in their personal lives and the global world are connected to the problems that ISIS is fighting against. Sadly this powerful tactic ends up convincing many young adults to join the fight. Perhaps the reason it works so well is that terrorists are not much different from non-terrorist. In a social science study, researchers have found that the mindsets of people in and not in terrorist groups have similar views. Some of these views include that the now hostile world can be changed into a utopia, but it can not be done peacefully. Many people also agree with the statement, 'The best way to die is defending your beliefs' and 'Extreme measures are needed now to restore virtue and righteousness in the world.' Although the second statement might be a bit extreme, the first is a commonly held core belief among mostly everyone. In a terrorist group, this statement can be the catalyst to becoming a suicide bomber, whereas in civilian life it can be a catalyst to overcoming discrimination. Since it seems to be quite easy for terrorists to recruit, solutions need to be put in place. One way is to teach students to accept the imperfections of the world and that a utopia might not ever be achieved. Another way is to help young individuals find their purpose in life.

Throughout the past propaganda has been proven to be effective at changing opinions. The increased use of it during WWI led to it being distributed globally for the first time. As a result, propaganda was more accessible to people in power and more effective than before. At that time propaganda had been mainly used for religious contexts, some conflicts of interests, and some instances of persuasion. When the war hit, printing was being increased and new technology was being developed to expedite the spread of propaganda around the world. Many people were unaware of the true purpose of propaganda until after the war. Like in the past, terrorists use this unenlightenment to their advantage when recruiting new members from abroad. The reason why they can do this is that people usually respond with their emotional centers of the brain before their analytical side. However, this is not true for everyone. Many people in today's day and age have grown up with a constant bombardment of advertisements, a current form of propaganda since they were born. This, in turn, has desensitized them to most of the advertisements they encounter in a day. This passive attitude towards propaganda can either be a benefit or harm depending on what is being advertised. Regardless of the purpose, propaganda seems like it will continue being in our lives.