When you hear the word "propaganda", negative images may come to mind. Propaganda can be a bad thing, such as misleading advertisements, but propaganda can be benificial sometimes. It is described to be a spreading of information, whether that information is true or not. Commercials and other types of advertising are examples of propaganda; some have good intent to inform the public, while others just try to trick people into buying the product they are selling. Informing the public of national or international affairs is a very important kind of propaganda as it keeps people up to date on current events around the country and/or world. If given by a credible source about a relevant topic, propaganda can be a very successful way to update the public.
Of course, there are many negative types of propaganda; the kinds that everybody sees most often. Many times, people are smart enough to understand the difference between genuine information and rumors meant to deceive them, but there are times when the propaganda is so persuasive that it convinces you to believe in it. For instance, the SPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan show heart-wrenching images of abused, starving, or sick animals. These images along with sad music emotionally sways you to at least feel sympathy for those animals. Personally, I always have to change the channel when these type of commercials come on because they are so emotionally moving that I cannot watch without feeling bad. This is effective in what the goal of this advertisement is, but it can be considered a misuse of propaganda. Even though propaganda can serve as a food service to the public, there is so much of it that can mislead almost anyone. There is a time and a place for propaganda, and we have way too much of it in the modern world.
You mentioned the SPCA comercials as an example in your blog but gave mixed messages about whether you thought that was a good use or propaganda or not. So, do you think that the SPCA comercials are good or bad propaganda?
ReplyDeleteThe things that in our modern world that we show on television are mainly propaganda. How would less/more propaganda benefit us?
ReplyDeleteI like your addition of the SPCA commercials, but I would have to disagree with u about what they evoke. To me these commercials say the same thing and seem just fake, not genuine, that I discredit their sincerity. What about you? Do u feel like they do the same thing, or do other types of propoganda do that?
ReplyDelete