EOTO P2: Propaganda

Propaganda is a term that I've been learning about since elementary school. Propaganda can be defined as biased or misleading information used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. For the most part, schools have taught that propaganda is often used in wars. It was very useful throughout that time because it took on the form of posters, TV advertisements, and radio announcements. Often times it was used in order to ensure that people who were at home and not fighting in wars felt hatred towards their enemy. The information could tell that the enemy was evil and make them seem inhuman. Propaganda was even given to the enemy- telling them that the war was going badly for them and that they should give up.

Here are some examples of propaganda used during wars:

One of the most well-known users of propaganda in history is Adolf Hitler. Hitler's use of war propaganda eventually resulted in convincing his country of the National Socialism ideals, which ultimately resulted in the Holocaust and the extermination of millions of Jews. Hitler even once wrote a political statement explaining his hatred towards Jewish people and asking that after his death people continue to stay strong in their beliefs. This use of propaganda in order to spread prejudice beliefs of National Socialism and his dislike of Jews resulted in Hitler's army and country supporting the idea as well and the breakout of World War II.

In my opinion propaganda was and still is a scary and dangerous way to spread false news. Today, propaganda posters have been replaced with hundreds of digital visuals such as memes that can easily be made by anyone and distributed to so many people within minutes. Propaganda appeals to an individual's unconscious mind. The use of propaganda within the media can have the ability to sway someone's opinions or beliefs and can even have the power to control certain situations or outcomes. This is something that we often see in politics.

One thing that I've learned in college is that for the most part, students like myself tend to get almost all of their daily news on social media. When it came time for us as first-time voters to choose a presidential candidate, where did we get most of our information? The media. In a way, the media determines what information we see often and how much of that information is actually "relevant: or "important" to us. The media has a way of picking and choosing who or what they want to be in the daily headlines for the world to see, and this is exactly why we have to be careful as to what information we choose to take in.