EVERYDAY PERSUASION
How we form our opinions, make our decisions, and come to believe the things we believe.
How Propaganda rebranded as PR and went underground. Modern examples of hidden propaganda in our everyday lives.
Propaganda Meaning
When you hear the word propaganda, what is the first image that comes to mind?
For most of us, the term conjures up stark, gritty posters from World War I, or perhaps Cold War tales of food rations and military parades. We tend to associate it with dictators, shouting voices, and rigid ideologies. It’s something that happened in the old days.
However, the history and reality of propaganda is not quite as we think. Propaganda has not disappeared – it has come full circle. While it has not lost its negative connotations, it has shed the obvious skin that we expect and which makes it easy to recognise.
Today, propaganda has become invisible. It has shifted from overt government messaging to a normal, everyday part of how we are influenced in almost every aspect of our lives.
From the breakfast on your table to the engagement ring on your finger, you are being guided by an invisible hand.
Download Free PDF
Case Study Analysis: Propaganda The Invisible Hand — Deconstructing Everyday Myths
If you like this type of material, you can read more with our collection of books looking at influence and persuasion.
- By Will Camden
- Everyday Persuasion Articles
Share this Post:
- Reading Time 10 Minutes
Table of Contents
Propaganda Definition
To truly understand how propaganda works, we must strip away the modern stigma and look at the etymology of the word itself.
Propaganda is a Latin word and it means “to propagate”, in exactly the same way as when a gardener propagates plants and seeds to help them grow and spread.
This is exactly what propaganda is. It’s the process of helping to grow and spread a certain opinion, belief or worldview, until it becomes concrete in the public consciousness.
Just as the gardener tends to a seedling to ensure it takes root, a propagandist tends to an idea until it becomes a perceived reality.
Propagation to help it take root, grow and spread.
The Surprising Origins of Propaganda : The Catholic Church
Contrary to popular belief, the origins of propaganda are not rooted in war, deception, or political malice. They are rooted in faith.
In 1622, the Catholic Church established the Congregatio de propaganda fide — the Congregation for Propagating the Faith. The objective was straightforward: the Church wanted to spread and grow the catholic faith globally. It was a centralised method to manage the distribution of information and doctrine.
At that time, the concept of propaganda was not viewed as “bad” in the way we interpret the word today. It was merely a descriptive term for the propagation of a specific belief and worldview.
The job of the department of propaganda was to actively help their particular worldview – in this case Christianity – to take root, grow and spread.
When Propaganda Became Bad
The turning point for when propaganda became a dirty word occurred during the World Wars.
The idea was the same – to actively grow a belief. This time, the job wasn’t to grow a belief in a religious worldview, but instead an ideological one. Use all available methods to make the idea of an evil enemy take root, grow and spread.
This was the era where the term became heavily associated with military psychological operations and government manipulation. Governments realised how effectively human emotions could be harnessed for war efforts, and the public eventually grew suspicious of this manipulation.
The stigma became so toxic that the industry needed a change. It needed to go underground. It needed a rebrand.
Enter Edward Bernays. Often cited as the father of modern public relations, Bernays was a pivotal figure in the evolution of influence. He recognised that the word “propaganda” had been irreparably damaged by the wars.
Bernays gave propaganda a makeover. He deliberately rebranded the practice as “Public Relations”. This was a calculated move to distance his work from wartime connotations and allow these techniques to operate ‘underground’.
Bernays was open about this. His new techniques of public relations were effectively the same thing as propaganda, but by changing the label, he could integrate these methods into the corporate world.
Edward Bernays transformed psychological warfare into marketing, bridging the gap between companies and the public
Rebranding Propaganda as Public Relations
Examples of Hidden Propaganda
Once propaganda became “Public Relations,” it ceased to be about flags and armies. It became about everyday life. Many “facts” we take for granted today were actually carefully propagated beliefs designed to benefit specific industries or even hide state secrets.
Carrots Help You See in the Dark
The belief that eating carrots helps you see in the dark was born from a wartime propaganda campaign.
The British government had invented radar, a technology that allowed their pilots to be exceptionally successful in night combat.
They propagated the belief that British pilots consumed large amounts of carrots to improve their night vision, and that belief still exists with some people even today.
Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the Day
The phrase “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” was not a medical consensus.
The belief was propagated through various media outlets by companies like Kellogg’s in the 1940s to increase cereal consumption.
Again, this belief still exists with many people today.
Recommended Daily Water Intake
Many people insist on drinking eight glasses of water each day. The belief that this is necessary was propagated by bottled water companies.
The scientific reports on the subject stated that this amount could be obtained through both food and water consumption, and not just through water alone. A classic propaganda campaign was launched omitting the full wording of the report and only including the parts which would drive consumption.
Coffee Propaganda Advert
A campaign worked on by Will Camden as outlined in his novel Confessions of a Professional Conspiracy Theorist.
A classic propaganda campaign using what’s known as a switching strategy would turn consumers away from drinking tea in order to turn them to a competitor’s product.
This technique is widespread and is often behind scare stories around certain products in the media.
Conspiracy Theories as Propaganda
These techniques of propaganda are not solely the domain of corporations or governments. They are also a primary tool of building a belief in conspiracy theories.
Figures like David Icke utilise the exact same mechanisms in order to propagate beliefs, opinions and worldviews.
The section of the media which people like David Icke occupy might have the label of the Alternative Media but the tactics and methods of influence, persuasion and propagation of beliefs and worldviews is exactly the same as the mainstream media which it puts itself up against.
Just as the church wanted to propagate the faith, or Bernays wanted to propagate bacon, conspiracy theorists wish to propagate a version of reality that they have their own reasons for.
If you want to see more about the reasons, and how these tactics are employed, you can read all about it here.
Propaganda is Everywhere
Propaganda is not history. It is not just about war. It is the invisible influence of our normal everyday daily lives.
From the new superfood which comes on to the market, to the traditions we celebrate and the fears we harbour, we are constantly navigating a world shaped by the propagation of beliefs and ideas.
Whether it is used to hide radar technology, sell a certain food stuff, or build a following for a conspiracy theory, the method remains the same: plant a seed, tend to it, and watch it become a concrete reality in the minds of the intended audience.
To understand the world, we must learn to see the gardener behind the plants.
Explore More
Join us for our latest articles, new books, free downloads and special offers.
Once a month, no spam.
NEWSLETTER
Join in the conversation.
Share your own thoughts and experiences about the themes in this post below …
