Group 3 | Disinformation Presentation

In this weeks group presentations, group one's topic was Awareness. The presentation I enjoyed the most was about disinformation. This particular topic resonates with me because I believe it is a pervasive problem. Disinformation is described as, "false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth." (Merriam-Webster 2022) I believe disinformation is a threat to democracy. 

The presentation discussed how disinformation is misleading and filled with biased information. This problem exists in part because of social media and it's quick and efficient access to spread misleading information or outright lies. 

Disinformation is spread in a variety of ways. The presenter discussed a few of those formats. One such format was through propaganda. I learned that propaganda (the attempt to persuade an audience toward a specific idea) was popular during World War II. Listen to any politician and you will often hear them present the opposing parties views in a negative way. This is commonplace today and although we recognize it, it still sends a strong message that is often believable; especially when it is your own party participating in the cause.

Another form of disinformation is done through name calling. This concept is used by the propagandist. This strategy is effective in the spread of misleading information because a person can be linked to a negative idea. Examples would be if someone called you 'racist' or 'fascist.' This causes resentment in the larger audience and fulfills the original agenda set by the propagandist.

Glittering generalities is used to spread untruths. Using words or phrases that stand out to the audience can be an effective strategy. This works sort of reverse where bad ideas are presented as good. Words can mean different things to different people. When you look at words like, 'justice', 'hero', 'democracy', those words can mean very different things to every person. The goal of this strategy is to influence the audience to be in favor of the idea. There is nothing factual about it and instead relies on vagaries or emotions. 

Transfer is a technique is used when we associate ourselves or a group to be an integral part of a larger cause. The association of one to another is a very powerful tool that is often used to spread disinformation. 

When someones name is offered up and we see that person as a knowledgeable or as a distinguished expert, that testimonial can be used in a negative way. This is often seen when celebrities endorse or reject an idea, product, political leader, etc. This is very powerful because it relies on the prestige of the celebrity and takes away all critical thinking or need to look at the facts. Turn on the news any night of the week and you will see this playing out. 

The Plain Folk strategy attempts to solidify all of us into one boat. Any time someone starts a sentence with, 'Most Americans...,' you should beware. The presenter spoke about how this is used extensively by politicians when they claim they are the exact same as us. Every political campaign uses this strategy to create the idea that there is a relationship, therefore we should side/believe with them. 

The last concept discussed was Bandwagon. This is a common propaganda technique that the propagandist uses to try to rush us into thinking as they do or else we may miss out. This certainly makes me think of a shady salesman and is used in advertising. You have definitely seen it before. The 'Act Now' statements make us want to rush out and act immediately and act without thinking. We are pushed into acting because other people are doing it and so should you. 

The world we live in today is filled with practices that employ all these techniques. This is exactly why the spread of disinformation occurs. Entire campaigns consist of strategizing and employing these exact propaganda techniques in order to win us over. This type of information is misleading and relies on appealing to our human emotions. It is a form of manipulation that can be used for harm and the news media is but one source that has perfected it.