Top 5 Insights on Propaganda
Throughout the duration of this class, COM416, not only did I learn about what propaganda is and how it works, but so much more — this led to the top five propaganda insights that are the most meaningful and important to me. The first insight was how there truly is a formula to propaganda. IF you examine a piece of propaganda, no matter what it is promoting or who created it, it will more than likely follow the formula of either intensifying or downplaying the issue at hand. The second insight was how much propaganda is based on fear. In hindsight, this makes sense . Fear is a motivating feeling, because individuals will seek out solutions so they don’t have to feel it again. Well, successful propagandists know this, and use it to their advantage. The third insight that is most meaningful to me is that propaganda can be used for good and for bad. When I used to think about propaganda, I only thought of topics like WWII and the Nazis. Now, I understand that propaganda can be used for good things too, such as pet safety and the environment. Similarly, my fourth insight is that propaganda is not just about WWII, like I thought it was. In today’s day and age, especially during this media-heavy era we are in as a society, propaganda is everywhere. All different types of propaganda, promoting all different ideas, are everywhere — it is ever present in everyday life. Finally, and again, similarly, the fifth insight on propaganda that is the most meaningful to me is how much I can now recognize that it would have been helpful to learn about this area of study (propaganda) earlier in life. Now that I am confronted with propaganda in many different areas in my life, having the opportunity to learn about it on this scale before my second-to-last class in college would have truly been a privilege. However, this class taught me a lot and I can definitely recognize propaganda as something that is important, divisive, technical, and important.
