Media manipulation
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Media manipulation refers to orchestrated campaigns in which actors exploit the distinctive features of broadcasting mass communications or digital media platforms to mislead, misinform, or create a narrative that advance their interests and agendas.[1][2][3]
In practice, media manipulation tactics may include the use of the use of
As illustrated below, many of the more modern mass media manipulation methods are types of distraction, on the assumption that the public has a limited attention span.
Contexts
Activism
Activism is the practice or doctrine that has an emphasis on direct vigorous action especially supporting or opposing one side of a controversial matter.
Advertising
Advertising is a form of promotion that seeks to persuade a certain audience to purchase a good or service. One of the first types of marketing, it aims to persuade its target market to either buy, sell, or carry out a particular action.
These advertisements are not only done by businesses but can also be done by certain groups. Non-commercial advertisers are those who spend money on advertising in a hope to raise awareness for a cause or promote specific ideas.[8] These include groups such as interest groups, political parties, government organizations and religious movements. Most of these organizations intend to spread a message or sway public opinion instead of trying to sell products or services. Advertising can not only be found on social media, but it is also evident on billboards, newspapers, magazines and even word of mouth.
Hoaxing
A hoax is something intended to deceive or defraud. Misleading public stunts,
Propagandizing
Propagandizing is a form of communication that is aimed at
Propaganda uses societal norms and myths that people hear and believe. Because people respond to, understand and remember more simple ideas this is what is used to influence people's beliefs, attitudes and values.[11]
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare is sometimes considered synonymous with propaganda. The principal distinction being that propaganda normally occurs within a nation, whereas psychological warfare normally takes place between nations, often during war or
This tactic has been used in multiple wars throughout history. During
Public relations
Public relations (PR) is the management of the flow of
Techniques
Internet manipulation
Astroturfing
Astroturfing is when there is an intent and attempt to create the illusion of support for a particular cause, person, or stance. While this is mainly connected to and seen on the internet, it has also happened in newspapers during times of political elections.[14] Corporations and political parties try to imitate grassroots movements in order to sway the public to believing something that isn't true.[15]
Clickbait
Clickbait refers to headlines of online news articles that are sensationalized or sometimes completely fake. It uses people's natural curiosity to get people to click. In some cases clickbait is simply used to generate income, more clicks means more money made with advertisers.[16] But these headlines and articles can also be used to influence a group of people on social media. They are constructed to appeal to the interest group's pre-existing biases and thus to be shared within filter bubbles.[17]
Propaganda laundering
Propaganda laundering is a method of using a less trusted or less popular platform to publish a story of dubious origin or veracity for the purposes of reporting on that report, rather than the story itself. This technique serves to insulate the secondary more established media from having to issue a retraction if the report is false. Generally secondary reports will report that the original report is reporting without verifying or making the report themselves.[citation needed]
Search engine marketing
In search engine marketing
Business have many tactics to lure customers into their websites and to generate revenue such as
Distraction
Distraction by major events
Commonly known as "smoke screen", this technique consists of making the public focus its attention on a topic that is more convenient for the propagandist. This particular type of media manipulation has been referenced many times in popular culture. Some examples are:
- The movie Wag the Dog (1997), which illustrates the public being deceitfully distracted from an important topic by presenting another that whose only quality is that of being more attractive.
- In the U.S. TV series House of Cards, when protagonist Frank Underwoodfinds himself trapped in a media rampage, he addresses the viewer and says: "From the lion's den or a pack of wolves. When you're fresh meat, kill and throw them something fresher".
Politicians distract the public by showing them "shiny object" issues through the use of TV and other media. Sometimes they can be as simple as a politician with a reality show, like Sarah Palin had for a short time back in 2009, which aired on TLC.[21]
Distracting the public
This is a mere variation of the traditional arguments known, in
Some examples are:
Q: "What do you think about Khokara's politic on X matter?" A: "I think they've been wrong about everything for the last 20 years or so..."
Q: "Your idea is quite similar to the one proposed in Falala." A: "Are you suggesting Falala is a better country than ours?"
Straw man fallacy
An informal fallacy. The "straw man" consists of appearing to refute the opponent's argument while actually attacking another topic. For it to work properly the topic that was actually refuted and the one that should have been refuted need to be similar.
Distraction by scapegoat
This is a combination of the straw man fallacy and the ad hominem argument. It is often used to incriminate someone in order to argument the innocence of someone else.
Audio manipulation
Photo manipulation
Visual media can be transformed through photo manipulation, commonly called "photoshopping." This can make a product, person, or idea seem more appealing. This is done by highlighting certain features on the product and using certain editing tools to enlarge the photo, to attract and persuade the public.
Video manipulation
Video manipulation is a new variant of media manipulation that targets
Compliance professionals
A compliance professional is an expert that utilizes and perfects means of gaining media influence. Though the means of gaining influence are common, their aims vary from political, economic, to personal. Thus the label of compliance professional applies to diverse groups of people, including
Techniques
Means of influence include, but are not limited to, the methods outlined in Influence: Science and Practice:[22]
Additionally, techniques like
See also
Related topics
- Agnotology
- Concentration of media ownership
- Consumer confusion
- Consumer psychology
- Consumer science
- Crowd manipulation
- Deception
- Disinformation
- Demagogy
- Front organization
- Gatekeeping (communication)
- Gotcha journalism
- Guerrilla marketing
- Outline of public relations
- Ideocracy
- Ideology
- Indoctrination
- Internet manipulation
- McCarthyism
- Media regulation
- Media transparency
- Meme
- News management
- Pallywood
- Promotion (marketing)
- Sensationalism
- Spin (public relations)
- The True Believer
- Under color of authority
- Viral marketing
Notable compliance experts
Notable media manipulation theorists
References
- ISSN 1461-4448.
- ^ Marwick, A. E., & Lewis, R. (2017). Media manipulation and disinformation online. Data & Society Research Institute
- ISBN 978-8-4940-8532-1.
- ISBN 978-0-394-71874-3.
- ^ "Definition of Activism". Merriam-Webster. 2015.
- ^ "What is Activism". Permanent Culture Now. 2016.
- ^ Young, Megan. "Marketing vs. Advertising". American Marketing Association. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
- ^ "Non-commercial Advertising". Business Dictionary. 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
- ^ "What is a Hoax". Hoaxipedia. 2016.
- ^ Woolley, Samuel. "Digital Propaganda: The Power of Influencers". Journal of Democracy. JOD. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Media's Use of Propaganda to Persuade People's Attitude, Beliefs and Behaviors". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ^ "psychological warfare". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ^ "10 Fake Grassroots Movements Started By Corporations To Sway Your Opinion". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ^ Frampton, Ben (2015-09-14). "Is clickbait changing journalism?". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the originalon 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "What Is Search Engine Optimization / SEO". Youtube: Search Engine Land. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ Ratliff, James; Rubinfeld, Daniel (May 2014). "Is There a Market for Organic Search Engine Results and Can Their Manipulation Give Rise to Antitrust Liability?". Journal of Competition Law and Economics: 1–25.
- ^ "International journal of social media and online communities". IGI Global. 11 (1). 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
- ISBN 0-321-18895-0.
Further reading
Overviews
- Chomsky, Noam; Herman, Edward S., Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, New York: Pantheon Books, 1988.
- Cialdini, Robert B., Influence: Science and Practice, 4th Edition New Jersey: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
- McGraw-Hill, 1976.
- Ewen, Stuart, PR! A Social History of Spin, New York: Basic Books, 1996.
- Ewen, Stuart; Ewen, Elizabeth, Channels of Desire: Mass Images and the Shaping of American Consciousness, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.
- Ellul, Jacques. Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes. Trans. Konrad Kellen & Jean Lerner. New York: Knopf, 1965. New York: Random House/ Vintage 1973
- Jamieson, H. K, Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy Oxford University Press, 1992.
- Jowett, Garth S.; O'Donnell, Victoria, Propaganda and Persuasion, Thousand Oaks, CA: ISBN 0-7619-1147-2.
- Parenti, M., Monopoly Media Manipulation, Mediterranean Quarterly, Spring 2002.
- ISBN 0-06-016134-5.
- Rushkoff, Douglas, "They Say", in Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say, New York: Riverhead Books, 1999.
Case studies
- Beeston, R., Bin Laden Heads List of Suspects, Terror in America Times, 12 September 2001.
- Bohannon, J., I Fooled Millions of People into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss, Here's How IO9, Gizmodo, Debunkery, 27 May 2015.
- Braddock J., Historian says US backed "efficious terror" in 1965 Indonesian Massacre, World Socialist Website, 7 July 2009.
- Cashmore, E.; McLaughlin, E., Out of Order: Policing Black People, Routledge, 1991.
- Hodges, D., West Africans Are Streaming Across the U.S. Southern Border Carrying the Ebola Virus, The Common Sense Show, 3 August 2014.
- Howard, Philip N.; Ganesh, Bharath; Liotsiou, Dimitra; Kelly, John; François, Camille, The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018. Computational Propaganda Research Project, 17 December 2018.
- Kellner, D., 9/11, Spectacles of terror, and media manipulation, Miscellany, 15 August 2006.
- Ostrow, J., Politics in Russia: A Reader, Sage Publications, 26 June 2012.
- Sniffen, Michael J., Libby case witness details art of media manipulation, Boston Globe, 28 January 2007.
- Turner-Sadler, J., African American History: An Introduction, Peter Lang Publishing, 2009.
External links
- "The Persuaders" Frontline
- "Understanding Jargon: A Short Bibliography" by Philip E. Agre