Propaganda has existed since time immemorial, but the speed and volume at which we now encounter it is unlike anything in human history. From the moment we wake, we’re strapped to a schizophrenic carousel of messaging: scrolling from social media feeds to streaming platforms, from billboards to targeted ads, from influencer endorsements to politicized headlines.
Most of us have shared the same surreal experience of being yoyoed between absurdity and atrocity, forced to consume an odd chain of content in rapid succession: a late night show clip, an AI-generated video of bunnies, a jeans ad, a funny trend stitched to a plea for donations, another Pedro Pascal movie trailer, scenes from a genocide, a CEO affair, a Taylor Swift album drop, climate catastrophe, immigrant deportation, a prank video… all within minutes. This current media infrastructure assaults our senses, making it so much easier for propaganda to work.
WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?
Propaganda is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people’s opinions.
Propaganda is a strategy to persuade you to support a cause, group, or person, believe in an idea, or purchase a product. American author Edward Bernays, the father of the public relations industry, wrote in his 1928 book Propaganda: “Mass production is profitable only if its rhythm can be maintained”. Business, he argues, relies on “constant touch” with the public through propaganda to assure continuous demand and profit.
In the age of content creation, Bernays’ philosophy has reached exponential application. The Propaganda Economy– the system that profits off of our consumption and distribution of persuasive messaging– has colonised so much of what we see and hear in the media. There is no “off” switch.
Propaganda taps into our desires, values, and beliefs to encourage particular behaviors. Consider Corona’s La Vida Más Fina ads, which feature stylish celebrities like Pedro Pascal to equate drinking their alcohol with living “the finest life.” Or Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, which markets its products as the antidote to unrealistic beauty standards and even as a cure for low self-esteem among girls. Both these ads promote a set of norms (alcohol as a habit for happiness, or a new beauty standard) by packaging an ideal and a sense of empowerment that can only be attained through purchasing their product.
While we have always been exposed to advertising like this, digital architecture innovations like the auto-play function have completely changed our media consumption habits, leaving us no time to process the information we’ve just been shown. In her essay, My Brain Finally Broke, writer Jia Tolentino describes being subjected to the endless social media feed as our eyes being “clamped open to view the endlessly resupplied present”. Her imagery summons brainwash scenes from films where political prisoners are forced to watch hours of repetitive footage until the torture rewires them.
When our attention is held captive for so long, we aren’t just passively consuming, we are also altered. It doesn’t matter what ideology or side of the political spectrum you identify with: All forms of media have become a battleground, not just for our attention, but for our subscription to a worldview. This Propaganda Economy wants to shape our beliefs, values, and aspirations. It wants to seize control of our priorities and our memory so that we conceive of the world in a particular way that generates the most profit of social, political, or financial capital for the messenger while distributing it on a medium that is made convenient and addictive through sophisticated behavioural science strategies.
We are systematically blocked from thinking about the past (context) or the future (implications) so that we willingly surrender to the perpetual emotional hurricane of the next bit of content and the next. We are deprived of time for deep reflection and research, and encouraged to immediately react and distribute (like & share!), effectively coercing us into becoming active pawns of the Propaganda Economy.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
So how do we protect ourselves from this constant bombardment? The technological reality we live in means we have to put in the conscious effort to pause. Through this intentional moment you take to R&R (reflect and research), you can assert your own agency.
Here are some self-reflection questions to help us recognize propaganda before it influences how we think or act:
EMOTION
Propaganda thrives on emotion. Whether it’s outrage, laughter, fear, or pride, emotion is used to override critical thinking and present opinion as if it were truth.
How does this make me feel?
Is this post trying to manipulate my emotions? If so, why?
If I set aside my emotional response, what else do I notice?
Are they name-calling or labeling someone?
Are they using exaggerated or “glittering” language to praise someone or something?
Are they trying to appeal to my identity or nostalgia?
Our emotions are valid, but they can also be used to mislead us.
PERSPECTIVE
Propaganda often presents a single, definitive view of an issue. It shuts down conversations by making alternative viewpoints seem illegitimate, dangerous, or undoubtedly wrong.
Who else is involved in this story?
What are their perspectives?
Might they have something worth saying, even if I don’t agree?
What can I learn from an alternative perspective?
Good thinking is open-minded. It’s okay to be wrong! It’s okay to change your mind! It is best to consider multiple sides before settling on a belief or stance.
CONTEXT
Propaganda strips moments from their larger context and history, presenting half-truths to shape a specific narrative.
What happened before this specific event?
What’s missing from this version of the story?
Why might someone want me to see only this angle or moment?
When a story is too simple, too black-and-white, or too convenient, be skeptical. Do more research.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI is evolving quickly, and it’s being used to create realistic but entirely fabricated content. That means some of what we see online may not be real at all.
Has this content been made using AI?
Can I watch this video or look at this picture more closely to see if there are tell-tale signs of AI use?
Why would the creator use AI? Does that make it more likely that the content was made to deceive me?
Always double-check before you share.
CONFIRMATION BIAS
We’re all vulnerable to confirmation bias– the tendency to believe things that confirm what we already think, and ignore what challenges us. Social media supercharges this by feeding us more of what we already agree with.
Why do I believe this?
Is it because I’ve looked into it– or because my family, friends, or colleagues believe it?
Have I explored the opposite point of view?
Have I done enough research?
Have I carefully weighed other possibilities before repeating or sharing this piece of information or media?
It’s okay to question yourself or what you think you know. Having a healthy sense of self-doubt encourages you to reflect and research, which are necessary processes to protect yourself from harmful propaganda.
IS ALL PROPAGANDA BAD?
Not necessarily. There are forms of propaganda that are healthy, such as public health campaign ads that encourage us to eat healthy or stop smoking. It can be used to motivate positive behavior and meaningful advocacy. But with the speed at which media moves, it can be difficult to discern.
What is the main takeaway from this post/news/article/movies?
Who benefits from my agreement with this message, and how?
Is the intention to sell something (a product, an idea, a perspective)?
Am I being encouraged to dislike or hate a particular group of people?
What values and norms are they trying to promote?
Does my engagement lead to a solution?
Are facts being used, or just opinions and anecdotes?
Can I verify this information from a trustworthy, independent source?
Does this message make me feel urgency or panic, without giving me time to think?
Am I being encouraged to think, or just to react?
Is this trying to inspire real-world action, or just online outrage?
Would I still believe this if it were about “my group”, not “theirs”?
How would someone with a different background or experience view this?
Could I be harming anyone by taking a particular stance on this?
The key is to stay curious and question what you are consuming with intention.
Every day, we are targeted by forces seeking to manipulate our thoughts and actions for social, political, and financial profit. But you can seize your agency by taking a breath.
You are likely already exhausted by the stress of daily life. That’s exactly what propaganda exploits– our fatigue, our distraction, our scrolling. Propaganda is most effective when we are misinformed, and no longer willing to double check what we hear, see, and read. Because our media infrastructure is designed to let propaganda flourish, even the simple act of slowing down before reacting or sharing becomes a form of resistance. In a landscape where propaganda is packaged as everyday content, taking space to reflect and research disrupts the automatic consumption cycle that defines so much of our media experience.
Mindfulness is a rehumanizing of political participation in our communities. Instead of being provoked into engaging with and spreading harmful or manipulative content, taking a moment to R&R (reflect and research) is a quiet but radical practice. Rather than approaching each post as a need to express a stance, approach it first with curiosity. While media consumption these days tends to be an isolated personal experience, be open to discussing complex topics that arise from your reflections with friends, family, or community to dissect and verify the ideas further. Through these actions, you can choose your beliefs and behavior, instead of being turned into a cog of the propaganda machine.