Browsed by
Month: November 2016

Too complicated, TL;DR. Way too detailed.

Too complicated, TL;DR. Way too detailed.

TL; DR Summary If you need to spend more than 5-10 seconds to gather the propaganda message, then the message is a failure. This poster is a big failure. This poster originates from a right-wing leaning group. It’s propaganda method is basically to present lots of facts. In terms of effectiveness, this poster is awful. Far too detailed, far too complex, way too much tiny print. Nearly impossible to figure out the message.

Did the Washington Post publish a fake news report about fake news? The Intercept says yes.

Did the Washington Post publish a fake news report about fake news? The Intercept says yes.

With the help of uncritical journalists, a story about “fake news” ended up disseminating far more than it exposed. Source: Washington Post Disgracefully Promotes a McCarthyite Blacklist From a New, Hidden, and Very Shady Group The Intercept (and others) allege the Washington Post published a fake news story based on anonymous sources and lobbyists, making assertions and allegations without supporting evidence. The WaPo story reads like fake news stories prevalent on social media, typically based on allegations sourced from flimsy…

Read More Read More

Celebrity endorsement: And it is even true!

Celebrity endorsement: And it is even true!

TL;DR Summary Celebrity endorsement and Testimonial. This quote is true. How well this poster was shared is unknown. The quote was contained in Lincoln’s first State of the Union speech, both in terms of concern over the potential concentration of wealth (Lincoln had been a lawyer that defended the rapidly growing railroad industry), but also in terms of capital being used to own labor (as in slaves), as well as to hire. His point was that labor comes first to…

Read More Read More

Excessively complex, too much detail for effective propaganda

Excessively complex, too much detail for effective propaganda

TL;DR Summary This is an example of a poorly designed social media propaganda poster In terms of design, it is complex and no one is making eye contact with the viewer. It takes too much time to understand what it is about and what it is trying to say. .There are enough details that it likely engages (Kahneman’s) System 2 thinking rather than the quick, intuitive, gut-level response of System 1. Propaganda works best when quickly invoking a System 1…

Read More Read More

Partial truth is secret to successful propaganda

Partial truth is secret to successful propaganda

TL;DR Summary Testimonial from unknown (or “ordinary”) person in Belgium Half true, half logical fallacy. Works in part, on the basis of “What you see is all there is”. Belgium really does have “automatic wage indexation” that requires wages to be adjusted to the “retail price index” cost of living calculation. Belgium and Luxembourg are the only countries in Europe that have this policy. Thus, “This is the opposite of America” is true, but it is also true for Europe…

Read More Read More