Propaganda and misinformation in media
False news and propaganda are serious problems nowadays which can manipulate and mislead people and can cause severe problems in our society.
Short brief:
The way that media scholars have tried to make sense of information that is harmful or false in some way is not neutral, but influenced by historical and political factors. There are four main ways of thinking about this kind of information: propaganda studies, ideology and culture analysis, conspiracy theory, and misinformation and its effects. However, most of the research on misinformation does not recognize these different perspectives and how they shape the problem and the solution. This makes it harder to deal with misinformation effectively, because the real issue is not clear.
Ideology and economics influences media :
Media scholars have not paid much attention to propaganda and how it shapes public opinion, compared to governments and health scientists. Instead, they have focused on another way of thinking about harmful or false information: ideology. Ideology means a set of ideas or beliefs that are accepted as true or natural by some groups in society. There are three main issues that are debated about ideology. First, some people think that ideology is misleading or not based on reality. This is especially true for Marxists, who think that ideology hides the real material conditions of society. Second, some people think that ideology is related to the economic situation of a society, and that material reality influences the ideas and beliefs of different groups. This is often called the base and the superstructure. Third, some people think that different classes or groups in society have different ideologies, based on their position in the economic system.
Some Marxists, like Gramsci, have argued that media and culture play a big role in creating and maintaining ideology, and that this helps to keep the dominant groups in power. This means that studying media and ideology is not about finding specific lies or errors, but about understanding how media messages reinforce a certain view of the world that benefits the powerful. This is different from studying propaganda, which usually focuses on specific messages and their effects.
The study of media and ideology has also changed because of what has happened in the world, such as the fall of communism and the rise of neoliberalism. Some scholars have argued about whether ideology is still relevant or useful for understanding media and society.
Postmodern conspiracy theory:
A type of conspiracy theory that rejects the idea of a single truth or reality, and instead embraces multiple perspectives and interpretations. Postmodern conspiracy theories often challenge the official narratives of history, politics, science, or culture, and suggest that there are hidden agendas or secrets behind them. Postmodern conspiracy theories may also use irony, humor, or parody to mock or subvert the dominant discourses. For example - The U.S. government and its allies planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks to start the war on terror and invade Iraq and Afghanistan. This theory contradicts the official version of what happened and claims that there are hidden reasons and secrets behind the war. Some of the evidence that this theory uses are the strange ways that the World Trade Center buildings fell down, the missing plane parts at the Pentagon, and the weird actions of some of the hijackers and their links to the CIA. This theory also uses sarcasm, humor, or imitation to make fun of or challenge the main ways of talking, such as the popular documentary film Loose Change, which shows a cynical and critical view of the official story. This theory is influenced by the philosophical and cultural movements of postmodernism, which question the validity and objectivity of knowledge and representation. Jameson is a famous writer who has influenced many others who study conspiracy theory. He thinks that conspiracy theory is a way for poor people to make sense of the complex and unfair system of capitalism in the modern world. He thinks that conspiracy theory is a bad way of trying to explain the world, but it shows that people are confused and unhappy with the way things are. Horn and Rabinach agree with this view. They say that cultural studies scholars see conspiracy theorists as people who have lost their way and cannot understand the real world. They think that conspiracy theorists are paranoid and create imaginary systems to explain the world.
Resources:
1. https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/
2. https://jcpa.org
3. https://livescience.com
Comments
Post a Comment