PROPAGANDA
By Abraham Mohale -Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History
Introduction
Propaganda is the systematic, biased, or misleading, dissemination of information, images, and ideas designed to manipulate audiences, beliefs, or behaviours to support a specific cause, agenda, or institution. It often employs emotional appeals, selective facts, and repetition rather than objective, rational arguments. Propaganda communication is commonly used in politics, wartime, business organisations, marketing and advertising. Throughout history, propaganda has played a significant role in shaping public opinion, from historic conflicts to the World Wars. Its dissemination has progressed from traditional media such as posters, newspapers, and press conferences to contemporary tools including social media, algorithm-driven strategies, and artificial intelligence (AI). Strategies typically involve loaded language, half-truths, slogans and sometimes lies.
Common techniques include bandwagon, creation of ‘us’ and ‘them’ narratives and using symbols or spectacles with the aim of persuading someone to follow the crowd. Another common propaganda method is called contexts. This method is associated with political and totalitarian regimes, and it is frequently used in advertising, public relations, and wartime to boost morale. Propaganda communicators also use a method called modern spread, which has spread rapidly through social media, news, and targeted internet campaigns in recent years. Glittering generalities is another manipulation method, which uses emotional terms like ‘freedom’ or ‘justice’. Name-calling and labelling are effective because it is easy to link a person or idea to a negative symbol, and to discredit or dehumanise; for example, calling a political ideology ‘anti-Christian’ or ‘Islamophobic’. Presenting one-sided facts or arguments – known as card stacking – is an established propaganda method, while testimonials draw on endorsements from celebrities and respected people.
The term propaganda originates from the 17th Century Catholic Italian “Congregation de Propaganda Fide”, meaning congregation for the propaganda of faith. In December 2025, I was assigned responsibility for three additional collections, one of which is the Propaganda Collection. Our museum collection primarily consists of posters, most of which relate to the World Wars, the American Revolution, fascist and communist ideologies, and South Africa’s participation in the two World Wars during the apartheid era.
Common Propaganda Communication Techniques and Methods
Bandwagon
The term simply means to persuade someone to follow the crowd. Today it is popular for attracting support; as more people come to believe in something, others also “jump on the bandwagon” regardless of the underlying evidence. People often follow the actions or beliefs of others through conformity or social influence. The bandwagon effect occurs when individuals begin supporting something mainly because it is widely accepted or popular. For example, liking or supporting a football team because they are winning and your friends and family members support the team. Coca-Cola has historically used the bandwagon effect in their advertising campaigns by depicting large groups of happy people enjoying the drink together. These advertisements suggest that drinking Coca-Cola is both a popular and socially accepted choice. Popular alcohol brands also capitalise on youth to promote their brands.
Glittering Generalities
Propaganda communicators use intense emotional terms such as ‘freedom’ and ‘justice’. The messages are generally vague and draws on broad positive phares to appeal to emotions rather than logic. Communication is used to trigger automatic positive reactions. With contextual meaning, the same word can mean different things depending on how it is used. People may interpret the same word in different ways based on their own experiences, beliefs, and perspectives. Communicators often rely on this and allow audiences to attach their own meanings to certain words. For example, the word ‘freedom’ can have different meanings for different people, making it a powerful term that can easily be used for propaganda purposes.
Name-calling and Labelling
Name-calling or labelling is a propaganda technique that associates a person, group, or idea with a negative image, symbol, or stereotype, often to discredit them. Religion can also be a strong example used for emotional manipulation. During WWII, many chaplains and military senior officers used the Bible and Koran as a propaganda tool on the frontline when soldiers faced death and fatigue. Bible verse quotations were used for encouragement and motivation. In one example, a WWII chaplain encouraged the Allied forces, quoting Joshua 1:9, “God says, have I not commanded you, do not be afraid, you must not be discouraged, because the Lord is with you, do not allow few challenges to derail you, to discourage you.” In advertising and marketing, favourable terms include ‘pure’ and ‘natural’. Statements like ‘new’ ‘improved’, ‘best of the best’ and ‘authentic’ are used to influence and bypass one’s critical thinking. Words such as ‘hope’, ‘security’ and ‘glory’ are similarly used to manipulate audiences.
Symbolism and Imagery
It is the use of powerful, simple symbols, music and visuals to create a lasting, often subconscious emotional impression. The most common propaganda communication today is the use of AI. According to Kevin Collier, a journalist who covers cybersecurity, privacy and politics for NBC news channel, many government-backed propaganda campaigns are now using AI to create content, but they are not always using it effectively.
The report was published by Graphika, an American social media analytics company. Researchers examined nine ongoing online influence operations, including campaigns believed to be affiliated with the Chinese and Russian governments. The study found that these operations, much like many other actors on social media, have increasingly adopted generative AI to create images, videos, text, and translations. These propaganda campaigns rely on AI for key functions such as content creation and the development of influencer personas on social media, making their operations more efficient. Much of this AI-generated content is of low quality though and attracts minimal public engagement.
These findings challenge earlier expectations about the potential impact of generative AI. As AI technologies have become increasingly sophisticated and capable of mimicking human speech, writing, images, and videos, many experts predicted that state-sponsored propagandists would use them to produce highly convincing content capable of deceiving audiences. Yet Graphika’s researchers found that much of the AI-generated material produced by these established propaganda campaigns amounted to low-quality “AI slop”. Examples included unconvincing AI-generated news presenters on YouTube, poorly translated content, and fake news websites containing obvious errors, such as AI prompts accidentally appearing in headlines.
Conclusion
Edward Bernays, the Austrian American pioneer of public relations and propaganda, often referred to as the “father of public relations”, argued that propaganda is a means through which a small, influential group shapes the opinions of the wider public. According to Bernays, these elites possess both a deeper understanding of complex issues and an awareness of how ordinary people think, enabling them to influence public attitudes and behaviour.
The often-quoted phrase “the first casualty when war comes is truth”, commonly attributed to U.S. politician Hiram Johnson during World War I, highlights how facts are often distorted during times of conflict. Similarly, former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, emphasised the importance of perseverance in adversity when he stated that “success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President remarked that “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not to run their lives.”
Propaganda messages and their interpretation are often ambiguous, contradictory, and complex. As Benjamin Franklin, the American polymath, writer, diplomat, and political philosopher, famously observed, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” In much the same way, the meaning and impact of propaganda are rarely straightforward. Ultimately, propaganda is a master weaver of narratives. It is not primarily concerned with discovering truth but with shaping beliefs and influencing perceptions. It seeks to construct particular versions of reality and, in many cases, manufacture consent. Propaganda often begins subtly, introducing ideas that are carefully cultivated and repeated until they become accepted by an audience.
By emphasising selected facts while obscuring others, propaganda can present a distorted reflection of reality that promotes a specific cause or viewpoint. It frequently appeals to human fears, hopes, and insecurities, creating divisions and fostering a sense of collective identity. Through persuasive messaging, it encourages people to identify with an ‘us’ while viewing others as a threatening ‘them’. Throughout history, propaganda has been employed by governments, statutory bodies, corporations, non-profit organisations, influential individuals, and ordinary citizens alike to advance their interests and shape the information environments in which they operate. Its enduring power lies in its ability to influence public opinion, mould perceptions, and inspire action.
References
https:// en.wikipedia.org
