Propaganda In Social Media

Propaganda can be defined as 'a form of communication that attempts to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist'. (Jowett, 2012). Propaganda has been a prominent feature of the art world since the beginning of politics, particularly within our modern-day generation. Through our prominent use of social media and the internet, propaganda is able to reach a far greater audience than ever before, graphic design leading the means by which this is achieved. This essay will discuss various notions of propaganda, comparing artwork within the topic to offer analysis of its three main forms: black, white, and grey. In relation to this, I will focus on propaganda surrounding American presidential elections, specifically;

'White propaganda comes from a source that is identified correctly, and the information in the message tends to be accurate […] White propaganda attempts to build credibility with the audience, for this could have usefulness at some point in the future'. (Jowett and O'Donnell, 2012, p.46). Fig. 5 shows the print ad titled NHS Smokefree, released in Jan 2008 as part of an NHS advertising campaign. This is a strong example of white propaganda as it gives a clear stated fact about smoking from a trustworthy official health authoritative source, therefore better able to persuade people to stop smoking. The fact that it isn't a particularly pleasant poster to look at grabs the attention of the public with an image that is likely to stick with

Black propaganda is the "big lie," incorporating all types of creative deceit […] The success or failure of black propaganda depends on the receiver's willingness to accept the credibility of the source and the content of the message […] If the sender misunderstands the audience and therefore designs a message that does not fit, black propaganda may appear suspicious, and thus tends to fail.' (Jowett and O'Donnell, 2012, p.47). Fig. 6 shows an example of black propaganda. This poster was created for 'The Eternal Jew' exhibition which opened in Munich in 1937. It 'contrasted Jewish individualism and 'self-seeking' with the Nazi ideal of a 'people's community'. It did this by revealing an 'eastern' Jew wearing a kaftan and holding gold coins in one hand and a whip in the other. Under his arm is a map of the world, with the imprint of a hammer and a sickle'. (Welch, 2017).

'Grey propaganda is somewhere between white and black propaganda. The source may or may not be correctly identified, and the accuracy of the information is uncertain'. (Jowett and O'Donnell, 2012, p.49). An example of grey propaganda would be animal rights. Fig. 7 shows an unofficially sourced animal rights poster which concerns itself with the beauty industry and the cruelty which animals receive as a result. It is graphically hard-hitting, so you feel emotionally uneased based