Propaganda: The Jack of all Trades

Prior to taking COM 416 my intellectual understanding of propaganda was based on my European History class that I took my sophomore year of high school. I remember studying the term when learning about World War One, thinking it was simply a strategy that nations emplaced in order to promote the distinction between sides of a war and influence public opinion to support one particular side. Clearly my knowledge of the concept was very limited. Although I thought learning about propaganda online would be boring and only related to the historic utilization of the concept, I found myself more and more interested in modules as I realized that war was one of many aspects that propaganda held influence over. Propaganda is not just a war advertising strategy. It is a form of persuasion that intends to influence the beliefs, perceptions, and actions of mass audiences. COM 416 has shaped my understanding of propaganda, helping me identify strategies that make it so powerful and influential over people. My meme depicts the ignorance that I initially had in regards to propaganda when entering the class and illustrates how far I’ve come along the course of the semester. I’ve learned that propaganda is in the eye of the beholder, meaning that some people may view propaganda as beneficial while others may think the exact opposite. This concept resonated with me because I’ve always been intrigued by peoples perspectives. Every single person has a unique perspective and lens through which they see the world. Propaganda has the potential to change one’s perspective completely. It all depends how a person identifies propaganda and how they react to it. Although propaganda has specific intentions, the way people comprehend it and utilize it is unconventional. The top five insights that I talked about in my essay stem from propaganda’s persuasion among various situations and contexts, thereby illustrating its wide range of influence. I delved into what makes propaganda an attention-grabbing tool, how the personalization of propaganda affects society, how propaganda is incorporated into the mass media industry, how propaganda in education can influence partisan divides, and how propaganda conspiracy theories can be detrimental to society. Learning of these insights has taught me how to identify propaganda, how it holds power among society, and how it can be both advantageous and detrimental to those that encounter it. Propaganda is the jack of all trades, holding influence among many aspects of modern day society.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ys7es5m3FDsWkJ9T6a1EIV9Tol_uYnUUxFijrjtcPQA/edit?usp=sharing