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2021-12-27
Often the motivation is to get one to spend money on something, or to gain a vote of approval.
This is something that I have also learned about when studying Communications. How to make sure a company, government, person, politics or idea can be percieved by the public as beneficial and relatable. In the past this discipline was called Propaganda. Historically, propaganda has been a neutral descriptive term, however, after the 20th century the term propaganda was often associated with a manipulative approach. This is why terms like communication and influencing are more utilized today.
In this day and digital age I think the effects of communication are amplified by the means we have at our disposal to reach a large amount of people. Beyond radio and television, the Internet has made so much more possible. Just like with the older media, influencers are sometimes bought, meaning they accept money to propagandize a certain agenda, while at the same time not disclosing this to their listeners.
In all this I have been thinking about communicating to a larger audience myself. Not in the same way I see so often though, because it has always made me feel uneasy about seeing people being manipulated without their explicit knowledge. Often only to the advantage of the influencer. Rather I would like to see if it is possible to reach the same audience without reaching for trickery. And, would I resort to advanced communications strategies, this would be truthfully communicated. For instance by always adding a hashtag to communications that have been boosted by strategy: #upvoted.
One of the reasons I appreciate the alternative Internet (like Gemini, Freenet, I2P) so much is that a lot of the opinions shared here have no secret commercial or political goal, staying firmly in the realm of the humane: sharing, learning, engineering, artistry and open discourse. All that without trying to coax the reader and/or listener into some unconsented action, and without any purposeful subversion of the sensitive mind or the passionate heart. It is my hope these things will always truthfully influence the world for the better.