1. Simplification
Binary picture of the world. All-or-nothing, black or white, no nuancesThis kind of simplification is a way to propagate to peopleBut: If you nuance your opinion, propaganda looks more believable
2. Repetition
What is said many times, on all sides, is trueBut: if there is too much repetition, the spread of the message becomes counterproductive
3. Slogans
Slogans and are catchy words.But: if you pick the wrong ones, you are going to lose bigly
4. Euphemisms
The attitude towards phenomena is largely determined by how you call them. “Our heroic agent — their despicable spy”.But: If your false words to describe reality are too far from reality, people lose faith in what you say
5. Framing and reframing
so-called “narratives”, reconsideration, revisionism, alternative vision, etcBut: the audience is gained slowly, most likely you will have just a tiny portion
6. Distortion
Focusing on the unimportant, ignoring the essentialBut: you never know what will actually be the most important
7. Emotional attack
But: the effect will not last long
8. Outflanking
make feature films about your values, and not shout about them from an openly political platform.But: this is a path that requires time and investment
9. Reflexive control
But: complicated combinations often fail
10. Sowing despair
Sowing disbelief and skepticismBut: you need to maintain these moods constantly
11. Setting the limits of the discussion
But: for this you need to control the information space
12. Appeal to authority
But: in the 21st century people trust authorities less and less
13. False analogy
But: your analogy should be effective and understandable
14. Trolling
Trolling and auto-trollingBut: people are more sympathetic to those who laugh at themselves, not at others
15. Name-calling
Labeling / Stigmatization (“Enemy of the people,” “terrorist,” “pervert”)But: if a person or group is stigmatized too much, it can arouse compassion or even sympathy.
16. Trojan horse
Trojan horse: a trap for your opponentBut: you can come across an experienced gatekeeper who will not let your horse into the city
17. Multisensory spectacle
But: this requires a talented art director
18. Cherry picking
Biased selection of factsOne-sided presentation of information, even if factually trueBut: there will always be those who will tell the other side of the story
19. Accosiations
Activation of the subconscious network of associationsBut: you need to feel the society very subtly to predict its emotions
20. Active Seeker
Transforming a passive recipient of information into an active seekerBut: people prefer to scroll, not make decisions
21. Fear trading
Encouragement to action.A person who has joined an organization and has already taken action (especially a crime, such as a terrorist attack) or has cut off ties with an important part of their life is much less likely to change his mind and withdraw.But: there will always be fewer people willing to take action than willing not to do it
22. Epidemic spread of memes
Epidemic spread of memes / hashtags / strong emotionsBut: you never actually know which memes / hashtags / strong emotions will actually get viral
23. Multiplication of voices
“The spiral of silence”, “50 Cent Army”; “Death by a thousand cuts”. Formation of the mainstream, the norm, the acceptable version due to the number of media actors who spread this version(s) and ridicule the other(s). Troll factories.
But: troll factories require investment
24. Multiplication of versions
The easiest way to hide the truth is behind tons of lies. The more different versions of an event, the less the truth costs.If you launch a multitude of different versions, they may be worthless and contradict each other, but they will confuse an everyman, make him lose hope of finding the truth. Tocqueville’s method: “The only way to neutralize the influence of newspapers is to multiply their number”.But: It is necessary to control the lion’s share of the information field to be an authoritarian government media empire.
25. Love as a weapon
If you respond to your enemy’s aggression with a friendly, peaceful gesture, the audience will appreciate it and give you the moral upper hand.
But: if your supporters are implacable towards your opponents, they may perceive it as a betrayal.
Further material
SemEval-2020 Task 11: Detection of Propaganda Techniques in News ArticlesGiovanni Da San Martino, Alberto Barron-Cede, Henning Wachsmuth, Rostislav Petrov, Preslav Nakov