Many of you are probably wondering what propaganda is and why it's so important. Well for starters the definition of propaganda goes along the lines of "A form of communication that is primarily intended to influence an audience and further an agenda." However, propaganda is much more than just that. It tries to achieve a purpose by using visuals, drawings, graphs, displays, parades, songs, and other methods in addition to words and word substitutions. In other words, you can use almost any form of communication in order to influence others of a certain topic. A famous poster with Uncle Sam proclaiming, "I want you for the US Army," is an example of this. So many patriots' hearts have been captured by this propaganda poster. Although it was only a means of recruiting individuals into the army, it had a huge impact and was a tremendous honor for many to be a part of it.
Credits: Kenneth Taylor
With World War one, fascism, and communism in the postwar period of revolutionary ideas, we witness the malicious use of propaganda throughout history; nonetheless, propaganda continues to penetrate into our present media-heavy culture. Propaganda and media affairs tactics are entwined to assist market services and goods to the general public in today's development of mass consumerism and manufacturing. Massive businesses including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Google, among others, deceive the people for their own profit by playing on the unbridled greed of our society. Now, newer platforms such as tiktok have taken over as a huge influence to the public, especially the youth. We have come to an era where it feels very tedious watching the news or reading about what has been going on in the world. However, short 15 second up to 1 minute videos have kept everyone engaged and captivated. This has enabled everyone to learn a vast amount of information as the information spreads like wildfire though these platforms. Whether the information be true or just a rumor, it is taken as a new source to rely on.