Propaganda has become so ubiquitous in the public discourse that it has effectively disappeared into the background. This has been a remarkable transformation. Earlier attempts at spreading ideas through propaganda were crude, obnoxious and obvious. These attempts generated a resistance amongst the people whose views were sought to be manipulated. But then several previously separate strands of business and research came together over the course of the 20th century. Firstly there was considerable development in the art of Public Relations. This research was pushed by corporations seeking to positively influence public opinion in their favor or in the favor of their products without it seeming as advertising. At the same time, there were major advances in the study of the human brain and mind. Rapid advances in psychology shed new light on how people absorb new ideas and get motivated. These strands were then brought together by governments during the Cold War. The result was major advances in how propaganda can be used to influence public opinion. These strand have been continuously refined since then until the result is as I have mentioned above: propaganda so ubiquitous that it has become part of the background noise.
How do we as individuals make sense of the events happening around us? The various events that we read or hear about in the media form part of an ongoing historical narrative. This is part of how we make sense of the world us. A large part of being mentally mature is our ability to do this. Most of us, no matter where we live, are convinced that the mental picture of the world that we thus form is reasonably accurate and true. But is it? How can we be sure that we are not being manipulated by the same media on whom we are dependent for our information and analysis of the world around us? This problem is most acute in developed countries whose inhabitants are convinced that all the media that they encounter is neutral and impartial.
The fact of the matter is that most media outlets in nearly all countries are not neutral. Most of them are beholden to or part of major corporations which always try to manipulate us for their perceived benefit. Today there are both individuals and corporations who control major media outlets and who are not shy of using these as instruments with which to control how we think and thus how we react and behave. Climate change is an excellent example of this. The vast majority of scientific opinion is strongly of the view that global temperatures are rising; they are rising as a result of human behavior; the effects of this rise are unknown but are highly likely to be extremely negative with a major rise in natural calamities and the very strong possibility of major crop failures. There is very strong evidence to back up these assertions. By rights, there should be no controversy about climate change. But there is. Why? Major propaganda efforts by corporations, think tanks and individuals to obfuscate the issue. The end result sought is to control the historical narrative and through that influence public opinion that there is no need to worry about climate change and business as usual can go on.
Propaganda is an incredibly useful tool in the hands of corporations and individuals to channel public view of events along particular lines. The basic aim is to manipulate the many for the benefit of the few in such a manner that the former do not become disillusioned down the road. Society's view of itself is influenced by its remembered history - its historical narrative. Influence that in the present by the effective use of propaganda and not only will the past be remembered through a particular lens but the course of the future itself can be influenced more easily.
