Internet Censorship

The Ultimate Guide to Internet Censorship is a useful and even practical primer on the subject. Absent outright censorship, counter-propaganda is another means of effective censorship by drowning out opposing points of view.

Blip Thinking

From The Baffler:

For God’s Sake, Do Nothing

Blip thinking is also exculpatory; it exempts its users from thinking too deeply about how we got into this mess, what their own role may have been, and the difficult work needed to get us out. What gets lost amid all this is the obvious contribution that the old order made to the emerging catastrophe. The global “populist” moment did not arise in spite of liberal capitalism, in defiance of the global rules-based order, but because of them. The situation today is not the parenthesis of progress but its product. And this is what is truly deranging about blip thinking: by mistaking entropy for a fleeting moment of collective madness, it ensures the political establishment’s comfort in doing nothing to address the real problems besetting the world today. It is a call for only the most superficial form of action—which is to say, an excuse for inaction.

 Link.

 Propaganda as a form of inoculation only goes so far.

White House Newsletter

From I've analyzed every White House newsletter since 2009, and Trump's are a propaganda machine obsessed with positive news coverage:

...the White House newsletter reflects this administration's complicated relationship with the news media. Despite press secretaries and a president who deride the journalists for their negative coverage, this White House also wants the validation and credibility that comes from media praise

And it's looking far and wide to find it. 

A window into Trump's insecurity?

Manipulation

See This Is How Manipulation Is Used in Today’s Product Design for a summary of techniques used to push sales.  These same techniques could be used for political campaigns and other forms of propaganda.

More on Persuasion Analysis

See Trump’s Counter-Punch: A Persuasion Tactic.  Learn from the master of propaganda...

Emotional Spin

John Robb offers The Race to Weaponize Empathy to discuss emotional spin as applied to the news (beyond typical marketing).  "[People] see all facts within a social context and that context is identified by the emotional context attached to that fact."  In a fragmented society, people go to a news source to find out how to feel about a particular fact.  Hence, the uproar over "fake news" as the elite do not approve of those particular feelings.

The thought police have become the emotion police, which is much more difficult to control than simple access to information. (Hence, the desperation.  The result?  More fake news.)

But what about outright lies?

Persuasion Analysis

Why Clinton’s Slogans Failed (Hard): A Persuasion Analysis. Worth a read.

Chinese Propaganda

After a long hiatus...

China says its propaganda just isn’t strong enough caught my eye.  It seems that not enough people in China are believing whatever the Communist Party is pushing these days. I find it amusing that a country that has embraced capitalism (albeit state controlled) is still pushing Marxism at its universities. It is interesting that China had one of the few governments left standing that still refers to "propaganda" when elsewhere the term has a negative context.  I also noted the article said nothing about the impact of so many Chinese being educated abroad.  Does this mean, when their efforts fail, they will prevent students from going to foreign colleges and universities (which was the case right after the Tienanmen Square movement was crushed).

Is It Art?

Russia’s Propaganda Trolls become a power in cyberspace:

With the exposure of the Internet Research Center, it also appears that Russia is drawing on disinformation techniques used during the Soviet Union. One Russian propaganda scholar has referred to it as less of an information war as much as a war on information (“A Russian TV Insider Describes a Modern Propaganda Machine“). 

Regardless of the view, such activities have been successful in helping to oust governments or influence public behavior. This should be very telling, especially considering ongoing efforts between the two governments to try to gain mutual understanding on cyber security issues. One area that highlights this challenge is how security should be addressed in cyberspace.

Yes, but is it art?  If it is not art, how really effective is it?

Also, is the above an example of how writing about propaganda is (always) itself propaganda?

Social Conditioning

Social conditioning fosters propaganda susceptibility. Any image must mirror the original for greatest acceptance. New notions or fads are required to overcome societal inertia and inevitable drag forces. Familiarity is the most efficient appeal as it will receive less critical attention, and may be unconsciously absorbed—but only if one has the resources to ensure media saturation (including bad press directed at the effort by its opponents). The herd will rally and defend its flags. Critical thought is not a herd virtue. Cosmetic window dressing and directed semantics are crucial elements in to achieving a successful saturation propaganda campaign. Short attention spans increase the likelihood. Ideally, the idea is regarded eternal. A seed of doubt may be planted to weaken both state and herd. Popular ideals can be vivisected in the same manner the opposition was refuted. Glass may prove more valuable whole than smashing it. Destruction can be satisfying. Decadent Morality smothers. You chose your values.

Delusion & Self-deception

1. Delusion is an individual art, and a mass science.
2. Self-deception is an enabler.
3. The gap is bridged by social conditioning.

This Godless Communism

This Godless Communism was a propaganda comic book.  It "was an American comics feature that appeared in Treasure Chest, a biweekly, subscription-only comic book distributed in parochial schools from 1946 to 1972."

Worth a chuckle at the least.  It is an example of propaganda aimed at children.

Link.
JPG Link
PDF Link
CBR Link (Comic Book RAR file--good for readers)

Election Year Propaganda Links

Every four years I've noted this theme is taken up by some, probably because the constant election year drone of propaganda stimulates the discussion.

Why are Americans so easy to manipulate?  Ring the bell and they start to drool.

Manipulated America: One Theory of How They Control US.  Control is accepted by legitimacy. The author could benefit by learning about 4GW Theory.

Romney's Rise in Polls vs. Electoral College Map.  Not specifically about propaganda, but it shows how the expectations of entertainment influences votes. We elect the jesters.  The electoral college does mitigate this tendency a little bit.  For example the republicans can pick up 100K votes in Texas, but it does not change anything, because they were going to win Texas anyway.

Propaganda Links

Why Don’t Americans Take More Vacations? Blame It on Independence Day.  Interesting take on the long term impact of propaganda over the last century.

Selling destructive ideology.  Conservatives sell their wildly destructive ideology better than Democrats because the latter have nothing to sell.

Outrageous

Nothing is outrageous if it happens often.

Unscripted Propaganda

Although most direct propaganda is carefully scripted, there are rare unscripted moments (or rather moments that went off script) that make even better propaganda.  (To whose benefit is another matter.)  Walk away...

Stop SOPA!

Link.

Chatter

Chatter is a deafening mechanism.

Strength

Misrepresenting an enemy's weakness is not a sign of strength.

Propaganda Studies: Addled Minds

Today, FM has a good post concerning the effects of propaganda, the technical skills behind it (propaganda is not nearly as encompassing without technique), the isolation required to maximize its impact, and some examples, including some very illuminating quotes.  One does not need to buy it all, just enough for the propagandists to be successful in their broader goals.