When you hear the term propaganda what generally comes to mind?
For many people, this term is identified with times of War, and is often known as a derogatory term meaning the use of “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”
We can even go as far as to say that the term propaganda has been branded as a negative.
Lets take a closer look at some of this war time propaganda..
While most the old propaganda examples we tend to see consist of race-related othering, we can also note that much of the propaganda used was served to unify the general populous. The iconography, color schemes, font, placement, and simplicity all work together to create a sound image that represents stregth and unity. Which of course, is no mistake.
Posters during World War II were designed to instil in the people a positive outlook, a sense of patriotism and confidence. They linked the war in trenches with the war at home. From a practical point, they were used to encourage all Americans to help with the war effort. The posters called upon every man, woman, and child to endure the personal sacrifice and domestic adjustments to further the national agenda. They encouraged rationing, conservation and sacrifice. In addition, the posters were used for recruitment, productivity, and motivation as well as for financing the war effort. The stark, colourful graphic designs elicited strong emotions. The posters played to the fears, frustrations, and faith in freedoms that lingered in people’s minds during the war.
Now lets compare the tactics of “propaganda” to those of consumer advertising…
Advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea. Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services.
As Chomsky wrote in Manufacturing Consent “The Mass Media serves as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is there function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behaviour that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society. In a world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest, to fulfil this role requires systematic propaganda.”
So are these ads Advertising? or Systematic Propaganda? or Both?
While advertising is commonly viewed as harmless–although many of us know it for its irritating qualities like interrupting your favorite tv show right when Ronnie is going to start beef with Pauly, or its incessant nature of promoting “the worlds leading toothpaste” 10 times per Yankee game– its nature, and structure, is no different from that of propaganda. Although one is associated with war and politics, and the other with consumer culture– both can be misleading, biased, and are seen to use very similar tactics of manipulation in order to get their messages across.
Both the propaganda and the advertisements provoke an emotional response rather than a rational one, so despite feelings of supposed the harmlessness when you ignore the next coke commercial, remember they still function as propaganda by using “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”
These ads are loaded with cultural information and influencers. Not only do they serve to promote and publicize the spending of money on products that aren’t crucial for survival, but they also promote ideas of what success is and what our power structures are in place, all while simultaneously playing on our self-esteem to get in our wallets. Check out Consumer Culture and the Media for more information on how Advertising shapes the American world and our identities.
Media Literacy For Dummies 