preview

Extended Definition Of Propaganda

Decent Essays

Anyone who has turned on the TV in recent months has definitely seen it. ISIS has been known to frequently utilize it, and even Donald Duck has been used to promote it. It can comfortably travel through a multitude of mediums to promote things from sinister to beneficial, laughable to serious. The “it” that I’m speaking of is known as propaganda. Propaganda can be a tricky word to define because of the different ways it is utilized and the many words that it is nearly synonymous with. To me, propaganda is content used to thoroughly advertise a certain viewpoint with the intent of gaining viewers’ support. However, to more thoroughly explain this word, I must go into more detail, give examples of propaganda, explain how and why it …show more content…

Propaganda is used to promote a certain cause to a mass audience through mass media. Propaganda can be used to spread information for good or bad reasons and has been known to do both. The use of propaganda for bad reasons has caused many people to view it as a deceitful word, one that stretches the truth and blows things out of proportion to gain support--even though that is not always the case. For example, propaganda likes to use testimonials, glittering generalities, card stacking, and other techniques to present information in the best and most biased light (Ogelsbee, n.d.). The article “Defining Propaganda”(n.d.) explains that propaganda can spread its message through a variety of mediums such as pictures, drawings, exhibits, speeches, parades, songs, and so forth. It can present itself in such a way that the audience won’t even realize what it is, which can help with its effectiveness. Basically, this means “propaganda can be concealed or open.” It can also weasel its way into your life and leave a lasting emotional effect by using “a combination of emotional and logical appeals” (Defining Propaganda, n.d.). Propaganda typically appeals to emotion because it helps get a message across in a short amount of time and is the most effective. All of this means that propaganda can come in many different forms and can be adapted to fit pretty much any

Get Access