PsyberSpace: Understand Your World

Episode Title: "Shields Up: Recognizing and Resisting Propaganda in Authoritarian Regimes"
Introduction
Welcome back to PsyberSpace! I'm your host, Leslie Poston, and in today's brief episode, we're tackling a looming topic: propaganda in authoritarian regimes and how we, as everyday citizens, can recognize and resist these pervasive tactics. We'll take a look at the psychological underpinnings of how authoritarian regimes use propaganda to mold public perception and influence behavior. Understanding these techniques is vital for maintaining our personal and societal integrity in the near future, globally.
Segment 1: What is Propaganda?
Let's start by defining propaganda. Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, influence thoughts, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. Propaganda is cumulative, more like a 1000 tiny paper cuts than a single big event. Propaganda is often spread further by the recipients, both intentionally and accidentally.
Historically, we've seen propaganda used effectively by authoritarian regimes like Nazi Germany, where media was manipulated to create a godlike persona around Adolf Hitler. In North Korea, propaganda serves as a tool for regime preservation and personality cult creation around the Kim family.
But propaganda isn't just a relic of the past. We see remnants of similar tactics in various governments worldwide today. For example, in Israel, propaganda serves to obfuscate their antagonistic and acquisitive behavior toward neighboring countries. Controversially, some argue that strategies employed by the incoming administration in the U.S. both now and in their previous time in office, such as the use of the term "fake news" to discredit media critics, use of coded language that includes well known racist dog whistles, and the use of violent imagery and "us" vs "them" rhetoric that stochastically invites violent behavior from devotees, all mirror propaganda techniques.
Key propaganda strategies include media manipulation, revisionist history, language control, and creating a "villain" or common enemy. Media psychology and semiotic psychology offer insights into how symbols and media are used to influence thought and behavior in these contexts.
Let's break this down with some examples. In media psychology, there's a lot of study of the "framing effect," which is how media can shape our perception by focusing on specific aspects of an issue while excluding others. For example, if news outlets repeatedly frame immigration purely in terms of economic threat or criminal risk, this creates a skewed perception that can influence public opinion and policy in profound ways.
Semiotic psychology digs into the meanings behind symbols and how they’re used to communicate messages. Take the example of national flags. A flag can evoke feelings of patriotism and unity, but in authoritarian regimes, flags can also be employed to stifle dissent and promote a singular nationalistic narrative. This manipulation of symbols extends to how leaders are visually represented in the media—portraits, statues, and even the specific aesthetics of appearances can be designed to evoke associations with strength, wisdom, or even divine right.
These are not just abstract theories; they’re tactics observed and analyzed in numerous studies, showing how deeply our thinking can be influenced by what we see and hear every day. So, next time you come across a piece of media or a public symbol, take a moment to think about what it’s really saying, and what it might be leaving unsaid, when you're seeing it, and who created it.
Segment 2: Psychological Impact on Citizens
Living under an authoritarian regime that relies heavily on propaganda can have profound psychological effects on citizens. Cognitive dissonance often arises when the state-sponsored narrative clashes with an individual's personal experiences or values. To reduce this mental discomfort, some may alter their beliefs to align with the propaganda, a phenomenon known as social conformity.
Theories like Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" explain why individuals might publicly support authoritarian policies, even if they privately disagree, out of fear of isolation or retribution. Media psychology research also shows that continuous exposure to propaganda can gradually alter belief systems and behavior over time, normalizing the authoritarian worldview.  Authoritarians very much want people to give up hope and to disavow joy and silliness. It's imperative that you keep your hope in times of authoritarian rule.
In 2017 researchers found that even subtle exposure to authoritarian propaganda could increase conformity and a preference for social dominance in individuals. For example, seeing a screen o your phone, sent to 170 million people, welcoming you all back to an app you enjoyed, crediting a person in a position of power who was not involved in bringing it back and asking users to thank them. This demonstrates the insidious psychological power of these tactics and how vigilant people need to be against even the smallest piece of propaganda.
Segment 3: Recognizing Propaganda Tactics
To resist the influence of authoritarian propaganda, we must first learn to recognize it. One key strategy is the use of loaded language. Words like "traitor," "enemy of the people," or "unpatriotic" are often used to demonize opponents and stifle dissent. When you hear this type of inflammatory rhetoric, it's a red flag.
Another common tactic is the selective presentation of facts or outright historical revisionism. Authoritarian regimes often attempt to rewrite the past to legitimize their rule and erase any challenges to their authority. They may glorify certain historical figures or events while completely erasing others. Critical consumption of media from a variety of sources outside of the authoritarian's sphere of influence can help counter this tactic.
Semiotic psychology also offers valuable tools for deconstructing the symbols and signs used in authoritarian propaganda. Flags, slogans, and uniforms are often employed to foster a sense of unity and unquestioning allegiance. This can even be something simple, such as a red hat or a bumper sticker. By understanding the emotional and psychological associations these symbols are designed to evoke, we can continue to resist their power.
Segment 4: Building Resistance
So, how do we fortify ourselves against the influence of authoritarian propaganda? Developing robust critical thinking and media literacy skills is mandatory. This means consistently questioning the source of the information we receive, the intention behind it, and its factual basis. It's imperative the citizens of an authoritarian government refrain from sharing information that is unvetted, and pause before automatically believing what they hear or read, even when it's presented by people they like. There is a reason I either cite sources in the podcast script or include them in the show notes - I want people to be able to read the science for themselves.
Diversifying our media diet is also key. Consuming a wide range of media from various perspectives helps prevent us from getting trapped in information silos or echo chambers that can reinforce harmful ideologies.
But perhaps one of the most powerful forms of resistance is found in community. By connecting with others who value truth, transparency, and democratic principles, we create support systems that help safeguard our minds against manipulation. Engaging in open, respectful dialogues about the tactics we see at play helps to pull back the curtain on propaganda.
Community-building practices and mutual aid work, whether online or in-person, play a vital role in counteracting authoritarian influences. When we come together to voice our concerns, share knowledge, and take collective action, we become much harder to silence or control. Additionally, I'd ask everyone to take a moment to reflect today and write down your values. Put them somewhere you can see them, and refer to them often - propaganda techniques, like the gish gallop that we discussed in the misinformation episode, use information overload and uncertainty to gain traction. Staying firm in your horizontal morality helps.
Conclusion
As we conclude today's exploration of authoritarian propaganda and some tools to resist it, remember that awareness is the first line of defense. By understanding the psychological tactics at play and actively working to counter them, we protect not only our own minds but the integrity of our shared information landscape.
Remaining vigilant in the face of propaganda is an ongoing task that requires both individual effort and collective support. But in the fight to preserve free thought and democratic values, it is a task well worth undertaking.
This is your host Leslie Poston, signing off from PsyberSpace. Until next time, think critically, never stop questioning and stay curious.