Age of Propaganda Buchzusammenfassung - das Wichtigste aus Age of Propaganda

Einleitung anhören

00:00

Zusammenfassung von Age of Propaganda

Name: Age of Propaganda
Rating: 3.9 (70 reviews)
Author: Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson

Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson

The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion

3.9 (70 Bewertungen)

22 Min.

Themen

Media

Inhaltsübersicht

Age of Propaganda
in 9 Kernaussagen verstehen

Audio & Text in der Blinkist App

Kernaussage 1 von 9

What’s in it for me? Learn to spot and fight propaganda.

With the exception of dictators and authoritarian leaders whose every whim becomes law, those in power usually have to use alternative methods – namely persuasion and propaganda – to achieve their aims and bring the general public on board. By carefully manipulating our view of the world, people in positions of power strive to make us act the way they want us to, often without us being aware of it at all.

But persuasion and propaganda are not limited to the realm of politics; in fact, we’re subject to propaganda from companies and other organizations every day, most of which is designed to, say, make us buy things against our better judgment or lure us into shady cults.

The good news is we can learn to see this propaganda for what it is: hot air. By exposing the techniques and strategies of the propagandists, we can create a better society and make better choices.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

the difference between persuasion and propaganda;
why Rush Limbaugh calls his supporters “dittoheads;” and
how to protect your kids from propaganda.

Persuasion is built on rational thought and the weighing of different perspectives.

People are constantly trying to sway others’ decisions in one direction or another. But this isn’t always as nefarious as it sounds; by using persuasive techniques to influence decision making, these people are offering us the opportunity to make informed choices grounded in facts.

Such persuaders intend to offer people enough information on the issue at hand to allow them to make a rational choice. A typical persuasion technique is to state both an argument and a counterargument, only to immediately disprove the counterargument based on facts to support one’s case.

In this way, persuasion is often a result of long discussions in which one person’s opinion actively transforms as a result of another person making a stronger case for his perspective. It’s clear to the persuaded person that his opinion has been changed and he’s comfortable with that.

This manner of argumentation is based on the central route of information processing, which transfers information through detailed argumentation and is crucial to successful persuasion.

People who are persuaded centrally are ready to receive information-dense messages. They’re not interested in any old information, but would rather take their time weighing the strengths and weaknesses of different positions.

Because of this focus, such people are fully concentrated on the message they’re discussing, and they thus devote all their mental faculties to understanding the message, as well as their own opinions on the issue. When arguments are made in this way, people are capable of making educated decisions by assessing information from different sources.

However, not all arguments are made in such a straightforward way. In the following blinks, you’ll learn about another widely used technique of persuasion that’s not nearly as fair; it’s called propaganda and you can find it just about everywhere you look.

Propaganda confuses its message in order to disseminate information without people realizing it.

Unlike persuasion, propaganda doesn’t intend for its targets to have a fair chance of holding onto their own opinions. Instead, it works to catch them off guard, influencing them without them even realizing it.

To do so, propagandists deliver their messages in attractive packages, preventing consumers from focusing on what’s actually being said. This practice is accomplished through positive language and the framing of information in an appealing way in order to distract consumers from contemplating the factuality of the statements.

The credibility of a source and the message it conveys are both crucial to successful propaganda.

So, propaganda is all about misleading people, and while it comes in many forms, it’s always based on the four stratagems of influence. Let’s take a look at the first two: source credibility and message.

Source credibility means that the person receiving the message will be inclined to trust the person delivering it. Propagandists carefully select people to deliver their messages as a way of dazzling their audiences and forcing them to focus on the physical appearance of the source, rather than the words being delivered. A classic trick is to use a much-adored, respected or trusted public figure who appeals to the audience.

Propagandists set us up to side with them and use our emotions to guide our decisions.

You just learned how propagandists use source credibility and misleading messages – now it’s time to take a look at the other two stratagems of influence: prepersuasion and emotions.

The first, prepersuasion, is a way of creating a vulnerable mindset in the target. For instance, the incredible levels of violence depicted on TV don’t reflect the world at large; crimes are ten times less likely to happen in real life than they are on TV.

The entertainment value of the mass media increases our vulnerability to propaganda.

It’s no secret that the modern world is a message-rich environment. Every day we’re told all kinds of different things, but few of these messages come with many details or explanations.

Such an overload of generalized information only further increases our predisposition toward laziness and exacerbates our failure to properly consider what we’re seeing and hearing. In this climate, many people become addicted to entertainment, an addiction that the mass media is perfectly positioned to cater to.

Our need to rationalize our behavior and be socially accepted are turned against us by propagandists.

Humans are naturally social and rational creatures, and propagandists know just how to take full advantage of this. The reality of human tendencies can often trap people in a vicious cycle, as we’re likely to prolong bad decisions as a means of rationalizing our behavior and saving face.

Take smokers, who are huge rationalizers. Lots of people who attempt to give up smoking end up failing because they come up with infinite reasons why they should continue their unhealthy habit. These people tell themselves they have to smoke because all their friends do, or that they’d rather live a short and happy life than a long, miserable one.

War makes great use of propaganda.

One specific use for the tools of propaganda is war. In fact, some of the biggest beneficiaries of propaganda are politicians who use misleading information to build public support for brutal military campaigns. They rely on public backing to maintain societal stability and convince soldiers to go into battle.

War is thus a great example of how propaganda, rationalization and fear work in tandem to influence the public. For instance, the US invasion of Iraq was sold to the American people as a necessary, rational action to depose Saddam Hussein, a Hitler-like dictator.

Cults use propagandistic techniques to gain members.

People tend to think that cults brainwash people through some sort of witchcraft, but the fact of the matter is that cults use exactly the same techniques as any other propagandistic group – just with different names.

For cults, the name of the game is reciprocity, distraction and self-sell. The first of these, reciprocity, is a powerful tool since humans are inclined to reciprocate acts of kindness they’re shown, even something as small as the gift of a flower, which Hare Krishnas hand out to entice new devotees. Such gifts increase your likelihood of engaging with such people, as you feel like you owe them something.

By understanding propaganda, you can fight it.

It’s easy to get frustrated when you consider the sheer volume of propaganda people are exposed to on a daily basis from politicians, advertisers and the mass media. The disillusionment that this climate fosters also breeds complacency, as people tend to think that propaganda won’t affect them. But there are concrete ways that you can make positive changes to this situation.

For one, you can educate yourself and your children about how propaganda functions. This is a vital step, as children are commonly targeted by propaganda in the form of commercials for toys and fast food. These ads play on repeat during Saturday morning cartoons and during the commercial breaks for educational programming in schools.

Du möchtest die gesamte Zusammenfassung von Age of Propaganda sehen?

Kernaussagen in Age of Propaganda

Mehr Wissen in weniger Zeit

Sachbücher auf den Punkt gebracht

Kernaussagen aus Sachbüchern in ca. 15 Minuten pro Titel lesen & anhören mit den „Blinks”

Zeitsparende Empfehlungen

Titel, die dein Leben bereichern, passend zu deinen Interessen und Zielen

Podcasts in Kurzform ^Neu

Kernaussagen wichtiger Podcasts im Kurzformat mit den neuen „Shortcasts”

Worum geht es in Age of Propaganda?

Age of Propaganda (2001) is an in-depth look into the world of deception that is propaganda. These blinks will walk you through the different techniques propagandists rely on to successfully change people’s opinions and show how these tactics have become part of your everyday life.

Wer Age of Propaganda lesen sollte

Students of psychology and marketing
Consumers of all walks of life
Advertising professionals

Über den Autor

Anthony Pratkanis is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz as well as an advertising and political consultant. He is a coauthor of Weapons of Fraud: A Source Book for Fraud Fighters, among other titles.

Elliot Aronson is one of the 100 preeminent psychologists of the twentieth century and the recipient of many awards, including the William James Award for Lifetime Achievement, awarded by the Association for Psychological Science.

Kategorien mit Age of Propaganda

Society & Culture Marketing & Sales

Ähnlich wie Age of Propaganda

The Drama of the Gifted Child

Alice Miller

The Search for the True Self

It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear

100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing

The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

How to Gain Insight into Your Customer’s Expectations, Align Your Marketing Strategies, and Win More Business

17 min

3.8

The 48 Laws of Power (New Version)

Robert Greene

The secret methods to getting what you want

33 min

4.1

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

A journey into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer

Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People

14 min

4.2

The Secret Life of Pronouns

James W. Pennebaker

What Our Words Say About Us

How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field

28 min

4.2

Phishing for Phools

George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller

The Economics of Manipulation and Deception

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks

A Critique of Political Economy

19 min

4.4

The Black Swan

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Impact of the Highly Improbable

The Psychology of Persuasion

33 min

4.6

A Guide to the Good Life

William B. Irvine

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

22 min

4.6

Mindful Self-Discipline

Giovanni Dienstmann

Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions

18 min

4.5

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell

Understanding the Hero’s Journey Through Psychology and Mythology

16 min

4.5

Emotional Blackmail

Susan Forward with Donna Frazier

When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation, and Guilt to Manipulate You

16 min

4.5

Waking the Tiger

Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick

Healing Trauma

14 min

4.2

How the World Really Works

Vaclav Smil

The Science of Our Past, Present and Future

22 min

4.5

Love Your Life, Not Theirs

Rachel Cruze

7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want

The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers

21 min

4.3

Everybody Lies

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

Big Data, New Data and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

18 min

4.1

Understanding Artificial Intelligence

Nicolas Sabouret

A Straightforward Explanation of AI and Its Possibilities

16 min

4.3

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz

Building A Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Machiavelli's classic text on leadership and politics

24 min

4.6

Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

How Ultra High Performers Leverage Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close the Complex Deal

The Jaw-dropping Tragedy That Shocked Ancient Greece

The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking

How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything

27 min

4.2

The Effective Executive

Peter F. Drucker

The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done

The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever

24 min

4.2

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

John C. Maxwell

Follow Them and People Will Follow You

15 min

4.0

Bedtime Biography: Margaret Thatcher

Your Personal Guide to the Mastery of Magic Words

The Hidden Driver of Excellence

26 min

4.3

The Origins of Totalitarianism

Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt's landmark work about Europe's anti-Semitic and imperialist roots

19 min

4.6

Big Data

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier

A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think

24 min

4.4

How to Read a Financial Report

John A. Tracy and Tage C. Tracy

Essential Information for Entrepreneurs, Lenders, Investors, Analysts, and Management

Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude

A Handbook for Living

18 min

4.6

Positive Intelligence

Shirzad Chamine

Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and how You Can Achieve Yours

What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know

Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization

An examination of the amoral game and techniques of seducers

19 min

4.0

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century

Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein

Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life

A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time

Paths, Dangers, Strategies

18 min

4.2

❤️ für Blinkist️️️

Ines S.

Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.

Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.

Ekaterina S.

Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll

Nils S.

Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.

Julia P.

Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.