Propaganda & Mass Persuasion: 02/03/2008 - 02/10/2008

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Voluntary Fashion

"Persuasion as a subset of communication is usually defined as a communicative process to influence others. A persuasive message has a point of view or desired behavior for the recipient to adopt in a voluntary fashion." (Pg. 31)

The whole point of propaganda is too persuade, to convince you of some message or cause you never knew you were interested in. Better yet it's a message you had an idea about, a small amount of knowledge, then suddenly you've become thrown into a massive group. You've become part of a secret club and you know the secret handshake and all the old stories; the point is you are part of something even if it is a just a demographic. In the end you are made to believe that you have discovered this new trend without the help of others.

Unhealthy Propaganda?


“As the dangerous eating disorder anorexia nervosa reaches epidemic proportions among young girls and women, hundreds of pro-anorexia web sites keep appearing on the internet. These web sites, which appear to be put up by young anorexic females and friends, offer advice on dieting tips for drastic weight loss, strategies to trick parents into believing that their daughters are eating , and praise on behalf of extreme thinness. Visual propaganda on these Pro-Ana (anorexia is personified as “My friend Ana”) Web sites features photographs of famous models and movie stars that have been altered to make them appear even thinner than they actually are. Photographs of extremely obese women are also shown to trigger extreme fasting.” (Jowett & O’Donnell p.11)

Propaganda and persuasion can be used to promote products or push political figures, but when it starts to show the positives of self destruction one might call it unhealthy, unethical or even, criminal. It is denigrating, rude and selfish to push your beliefs on someone else, especially when no good can come of it! Not only are you being disrespectful by pushing your beliefs on a certain party but often times are being misleading! The commonly known propagandist often tries to twist the facts to highlight their argument, rather than educating the public on the truth. The parties responsible for showing the positive aspects of anorexia are simply ridiculous. The truth of the matter is that there is far more harm that can come from this type of behavior in comparison of the short term fix one might obtain.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

The government and its ties to the mass media




The great media also depend on the government for more general policy
support. All business firms are interested in business taxes, interest
rates,
labor policies, and enforcement and nonenforcement of the antitrust
laws. (12)

It seems to me that everything is a business, and business relys on money to survive. When it comes down to it in order to advertise or gain any type of exposure you needs money to work. And whoever has the most money is going to have the most advertising time, the most exposure, and the more money coming back to them. In order to have a successful business besides money you also need protection, not only from other businesses, but also as a backup or sense of knowing that the business is safe. And what better way to get that feeling is to use the government, with the government behind you how are you going to fail. The large businesses strive on the help of the government to succeed. There is a filter that is used when considered a dominant business, most who are very wealthy to begin with. The government is an important memeber of the business world and plays a major role in who and what gets put into the mass media.



Trading AntiCommunism for AntiTerrorism

According to Herman and Chomsky in their article "Manufactiuring Consent-The Political Economy of the Mass Media", the fifth filter that influences the mass media to the extent that it becomes 'A Propaganda Model' is "AntiCommunism as a Control Mechanism":
"Communism as the ultimate evil has always been the spector haunting property owners, as it threatens the very root of their class position and superior staus...and because the concept is fuzzy, it can be used against anybody advocating policies that threaten property interests or support accomodation with communist states or radicalism."
Well, communism, or the threat imposed by it, is dead. The United States 'won the cold war', thus depriving the Federal Government a fear mongering club to beat the civil rights out of it's citizens a la MaCarthyism. But never fear! Stalin and Mao Zedong have been replaced by Ossama Bin Laden, Abu Qatada, and many more radical Muslims whose names you can't pronounce. Thanks guys for stepping in to take their place! Thanks to them, we have the Patriot Act (an acnonym which stands for : Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001) Thanks to those 3,000 Americans who gave their lives on 9/11, the feds can now hold people without trial, tap your phone, and ruin your life with false accusations just like back in the good old 1950's (remember 'Happy Days?). Fear of communism slanted the media (and public opinon) in the 50's, and fear of Terrorism does the same for us today.

Advertising with the Lincense to do Business

"The sucessful media today are fully attuned to the crucial importance of audience quality. CBS proudly tells its shareholders that while it continuously seeks to maximize audience delivery, it has developed a new "sales tool" with which it approaches advertisers: Client Audience Profile, or CAP".

"In short, the mass media are interested in attracting audiences with buying power, not audiences per se."

We tend to believe that when networks premier shows its for the general publics interest and entertainment, but this is telling us otherwise. Networks like CBS are for the best interest of the ole might dollar. Of course they want the general public to view their show to build up ratings, which will ultimately attract more advertisment. CBS and other television networks are trying to gain the attention of viewer with money, which is not the general audience.

Everything that networks do is no coincidence its all apart of a bigger strategy. For example the time slots where they premier the best shows, and how much they promote the shows airing during the week. Shows like Survivor, which generates alot of advertising. Advertisers know that these shows will draw a large audience, so of course they want their products/ services aired during this time slot. This is where the network makes major dollars, on how much the advertisers will pay to air the commerical during survivor.


Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Media Serve As a System for Communicating


According to the article Manufacturing Consent the Political Economy of the Mass Media “The media serve as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is their function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, belief and codes of behavior that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society. In world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest, to fulfill this role requires systematic propaganda” (pg1)

Mass Media has a huge influence on society ways of thinking. Whether its television, radio or magazines, shapes the way society thinks about political view such as the war, elections and the difference between what is right or wrong. As a society we look for the media for entertainment, and to inform us what is going on in the world. In order for the media to inform society and shape the way we think is by using propaganda and persuasion. Propaganda is a form of communication that attempts to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of propagandist. (What is Propaganda and How Does It Differ from Persuasion? Pg1). Persuasion is other technique that is important that media using to gain interest of the people. In order to gain an audience, the media has to make whatever they are trying to put out there to the people is believable, so by using persuasion you “satisfy the needs of the both persuader and persuade” (What is Propaganda and How Does It Differ from Persuasion? Pg1)

"Catch 22"


"Another structural relationship of importance is the media companies' dependence on an ties with government. The radio-TV companies and networks all require government licenses and franchises and are thus potentially subject to government control or harassment." (Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, page13)
This quote expresses the viscious circle that is the influence the media and the government have on each other. Obviously, one cant turn on the news today without hearing something related to politics (2009 election), and both the positive and negaive effect the two have on eachother are clear as well. The media has the power to influence listeners/watchers for or against a government official by manipulating the news. Whether it is an act or an omission, they are who political fugures turn to when they want to get a point across. Unfortunately, with this power comes the possibility of ridicule by the government toward the media, and we all know how powerful the government is.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Yes We Can Obama by Will.I. Am-click here 4 video

This is a video that was brought to my attention. Obama naturally to me just seems like a cool dude. But its a fairly new video, 2day is the primary, it's a good look i would say, and Obama looks like smart-"plain folk" here to me. So this is my pickGood Luck Obama, you're going to need it!

Propaganda "filter" 1

"Propaganda model focuses on this inequality of wealth and power and its multilevel effects on mass-media interest and choices." On page two Edward S. Herman also says "it traces thr routes by which money and power are able to filter out the news fit to print, marginalize dissent, and allow the government and dominate private interests to get thier messages across to the public."
One of these ingredients or "filters" according to Herman is " the size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms;"

What i think that means is that those who have money and power for the most part, have the means to influence people in the direction in which they want them to go. The mass-media primary source of income comes from advertisement so because one needs the other there's a relationship. Mass- media needs advertiment for survival, the gov't and other private interest groups use mass- media for profit and pursusaion.
Messages are sent this way. Example's, HD tv?
Don't advertisers make it seem like it isn't the best television if it isn't high definition?
Isn't there a specific formula for television shows? Not just any good idea can make air! It has to fit the standards. Right? Well filter, allow only certain criteria.
Are you watching HD?

Just what is propaganda?

After completeing the first 4 reading assignements for this course, it seems that propaganda, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I counted 8 definitions in chapter 1 of the book "Propaganda and Persuasion", at least a dozen in the Lasswell article, and I gave up trying to decide how many were in the other 2 articles in the packet handed out on day 1 of the course. Some of the definitions led me to believe that the person(s) giving the definition were themselves being infuenced by propaganda. It's almost enough to make me believe in Transcendental Idealism. The definition that seems the best fit for my present state of semi-enlightened cynicism is put forth by Jowett and O'Donnell in their book on page 7:
"Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."
There, that seems sinister enough for an overworked, overtaxed, underpaid schlub like me. We live in country whose government uses the word 'freedom' in every other sentence to convince us how lucky we are to live here , yet bombards us daily with propaganda in order to subvert that freedom (of thought) to occomplish the ends of our elected officials. What a country!

"The Band Wagon"

According to Leonard Doop,

"He employs symbols, colors, music, movement, all the dramatic arts. He appeals to the desire, common to most of us to 'follow the crowd'. Because he wants us to follow the crowd in masses, he directs his appeal to groups held together by common tiesof nationality, religion, race, environment, sex, vocation.(Doop, page 22)

Usually when we hear of "the band wagon", we think of children and how they wish to do the things they see their friends doing. But in the article "How to Detect Propaganda" Doop allows people to understand that adults are guilty of the same thing. Whenever it comes to new technological devices coming out, events, buying a new car, voting, music, etc; they expect us to buy it and participate in it because someone we know is doing the same thing. Doop also emphasized that many of these advertisers use colors and symbols to exaggerate the events and to excite the consumers to a greater extent.

Monday, February 04, 2008

The Bible as a form of propaganda

“As the term is used in America, reformist propagandas are those which set out to modify conditions in the name of moral standards… As the term is used in Europe, reformist propagandas are those directed at broad or deep political, economic, or social changes by gradual modifications of an existing structure rather than by its replacement by a new one.” (Lasswell, 16)

The major significance and impact of the Bible makes it a form of propaganda. Throughout most of Feudal Europe the Bible was interpreted in such a way to give the Church political, social, and landholding power over the common people. People could not oppose authority because they were uneducated. Fortunately, the printing press was invented and changed the state of illiteracy and eventually aspects of the existing structure. Common people were now able to interpret the Bible on their own which in turn helped them realize they were not destined to be in servitude and they could create their own fate. The Bible is a form of propaganda because while it was limited to a few people it was able to inflict oppression and after it was spread to the masses it was used for liberation.