Columnist: Social media, propaganda and public opinion (I)
By Fassy Yusuf
The global environment is contending with three issues, among others in an era driven by communication and information technology.
These issues are social media, propaganda and public opinion and nothing greater could bring them to the fore than events of the last three weeks in the chequered history of the country.
The ubiquitous social media is dominating the world and one can only ignore it at his or her own peril.
It is a technology that is computer-based and facilitates the sharing of ideas, thought, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities; and by its design, it is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content through different types of platforms.
There are currently about ten trending social media Apps that are extensively in use. The most popular of which are Facebook (plus its child app- messenger), WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
There are advantages just as there are disadvantages of social media.
Its advantages include rapid connection of peoples of the world with events happening around them, direct connection with audience, ability to reach large audiences, and creation of organic content.
On the other hand, there are some dangers inherent in social media.
These include spreading of fake news, unverified or unverifiable news, promotion of violence, cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, identity theft, promotion of sedition, and mischief and recklessness of users.
The //EndSARS protests, // Takebackourcountry demands and the subsequent carnage, arson, looting, destruction and brigandage that the country witnessed in the last two weeks were largely promoted by the social media.
These negative dimensions of social media have monumental effects on the society.
Albeit, the right to access and disseminate information is constitutionally and globally guaranteed, purveyors of news especially users of social media need to be circumspect and consider the bigger picture.
Social media should be guided by ethical standards. However, one is yet to see how workable and practicable the oft-brandished proposed regulation of the social media by the federal government.
There are more than enough laws to accommodate breaches by social media, and harassment and intimidation of purveyors of social media have no place in a democracy.
Democracy cannot flourish when any arm of the media is threatened. However, we should give less credence to people or groups that are determined to destabilise and polarise the country.
We should however, strategize on how to educate citizens on responsible use of the social media.
The governments at all levels and the society at large must consider the remote and immediate causes of the protests as the present circumstances in the country are quite debilitating and excruciating.
The youths have been pushed to the wall as a result of leadership paralysis. But for the protests that were hijacked by unpatriotic elements, guttersnipes, and rogues, more gains would have accrued to the protesters as the government buried its pride and acceded to their demands.
The plebeians had their say and their way for a transformational and responsive police.
The inability of government’s information machinery and management to be proactive and match the propaganda of mischief makers and perverted minds led to fake and unverified news, mind management, misinformation, disinformation and brainwashing.
At the end of the day, propaganda was used to influence and sway public opinion against the government and some of our political leaders.
Propaganda and Public opinion are two separate and distinct concepts yet closely related. Propaganda is a veritable ‘weapon’ of influence in the hands of leaders most especially, political leaders, and indeed, mischief makers. It is a potent instrument used to influence public opinion.
The mass media (social and mainstream) are usually the vehicles used for propaganda. Most political gladiators and mischief makers rely heavily on it in achieving their goals, either positive or negative.
It can be used to promote or oppose an idea, assassinate the character of an opponent, provoke mob action, or provide a subjective or a confusing view on a matter as we witnessed in the last two weeks after the initial success of the protests against police brutality, extortion, harassment and unprofessionalism.
It is usually used in the negative sense. Public opinion, on the other hand, is usually at the receiving end of propaganda.
The major aim of propaganda is to influence public opinion. It is an effective ‘strategy’ in the hands of most politicians and those out to cause confusion.
It usually denotes lies, half-truths, subjective view, selective history or any other tricks. It is used by few to control many.
The rioters and looters were manipulated and misguided. In the words of Marlin (2002): “Out of the last two centuries, a globally interconnected, mass-mediated society has emerged.
The events of the twentieth century in particular have shown the enormous power, for good or evil, possessed by those who directly control or know how to manipulate the mass media.”
Propaganda has the power for good and evil but national and global experiences have shown us that it has been used more for evil than good.
It involves controlling or manipulating the mass media including the social media which is its vehicle. The more complex and technology-driven society has become, the more sophisticated the techniques of propaganda have become.
Those who use and enjoy its benefits are usually few. The sponsors of the looting, destruction, carnage, mayhem and arson are negligible.
Yet, they have unleashed anarchy and disaster on the land; and they know themselves. Poverty was just a smokescreen as they capitalised on the gullibility of the people and the bad governance in the land.
Propaganda has been described as a form of communication that aims at influencing the attitude of a community or a group of people toward some cause or position. It is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the desired result in audience attitudes.
It often presents facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented.
The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.
Propaganda can be used and is more often than not used as a form of political warfare. How else can the unprecedented mayhem and looting be categorised?
Propaganda has enormous power in shaping public opinion or attitude and its use is not usually consistent with democratic ideals to which political leaders pay lip service.
Propaganda is usually used to pursue the selfish interests of some powerful groups within a society. Conserva (2003) gave the following as techniques of propaganda: Faulty logic, Diversion and Evasion, Appealing to the Emotions, Using Falsehoods and Trickery, Playing on Human Behavioural Tendencies, Mental Capacities and Processes, Speaking or Writing Styles, and Reason or Common Sense.
According to Wikipedia, propaganda can be classified according to the source and nature of the message.
White propaganda generally comes from an openly identified source, and it is characterized by gentler methods of persuasion, such as unethical public relations techniques and one-sided presentation of an argument.
Black propaganda is identified as being from one source, but is in fact from another. This is most commonly to disguise the true origins of the propaganda, be it from an enemy or from an organization with a negative public image.
Grey propaganda is propaganda without any identifiable source or author.
A major application of grey propaganda is making enemies believe falsehoods using straw arguments.
Looking at public opinion, Harrison (2005) stated that “The phrase ‘public opinion’ has become vague and ambiguous through abuse and misuse. Yet, it is a phrase which is of vital importance in any democracy.”
It is quite obvious that public opinion has been and is being formed, deformed, shaped and manipulated by propagandists through the media.
On diverse matters, those who use propaganda inform the media about what they are doing and why; while the media and the public they inform make their judgements based on the information provided, and the propagandists get opinion on their side and the support they desire.
It is like mathematical equations that involve different steps and manipulations to arrive at an answer.
The propagandists, with deliberate and calculated attempts, use their techniques to form, shape and sustain public opinion in the directions they desire.
Chesterton (1921) declared that “modern society is intrinsically insecure because it is based on the notion that all men will do the same thing for different reasons.”
The foregoing can be said to account for one of the reasons why leaders seek to shape public opinion.
Influencing public opinion in their favour is usually the aim of political leaders or propagandists.
It is therefore, imperative that government should partner with mainstream media practitioners, and social media influencers to positively influence public opinion to prevent the recent calamities that befell the nation.
The media permeate our lives and this is something we are all aware of.
READ ALSO: Youths’ using #EndSARS protest to grow social media fanbase — Police
At least, we all use the social media, watch or listen to broadcast media and read newspapers every day; and in like manner, our leaders should work to influence public opinion through the media with the aim of promoting public understanding and support.
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population, including the youths.
Being a complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum total of the views of the society, we must strive to positively shape public opinion.
Government must ensure that the negative public opinion is addressed expeditiously
