Is Propaganda a Technique or a Phenomenon ?

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One may argue that propaganda is the "penetration of an ideology by means of its sociological context" (Jowett 2005, 32); thus implying that it is a spontaneous phenomenon or subject matter rather than a device employed by people for specific purposes. In this case propaganda is seen as a phenomenon resulting mainly from an atmosphere or a general climate that influences people imperceptibly without having the appearance of propaganda. Activities such as "advertising and public relations produce a certain general conception of society, or a particular way of life," that ultimately "gets to man through his customs [and] his most unconscious habits" (Jowett 2005, 34). Here, the propaganda element springs up spontaneously within a culture or a society and is thought to be the way of life that individuals live and express in their art, music and books. This expression eventually creates a unified style of life and molds people's general behavior in an identical pattern so that their actions spread on to other groups. Such an approach alienates the possibility that propaganda is a device and fails to acknowledge that utilizing the set of techniques, which make up the sociological atmosphere, is usually a precedent of the consequences in which a man is molded into conforming to society. Often people are faced with decisions where a background of information that the individual does not and cannot have without propaganda is required, thus propaganda is a technique and a device that makes obtaining this information, whether true or not, intended or not, possible.

In conclusion, by examining the various methods through which propaganda is disseminated it can be argued that propaganda is most certainly a device that is utilized for outlined purposes through various practices. Some of these practices include name calling, fear spreading, testimonials and communication practices, all of which are carefully employed with a predetermined intent that drives the method of monopoly of means and ends. Propaganda is a set of complex techniques employed to present missing information with the goal of winning mass opinion; rather than a spontaneous phenomenon that occurs in society due to a general and social climate.

Citations:

1) Randal Marlin, Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion: 2nd edition (Canada Ontario, 2013),

pp. 3

2) Aaron Delwich, “Propaganda” last modified February 2, 2011, http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/intro.ipa.html

3) Nancy Snow, Propaganda and American Democracy, ( Louisianna State University Press, 2014), pp. 4

4) David Valerio, "Propaganda" Last modified Feb 16, 2013, http://sharpstowneng2.pbworks.com/w/page/61113260/Propaganda

5) Garth S. Jowett, Readings in Propaganda and Persuasion: New and Classic Essays, (Sage Publications, 2005), pp 32 - 33