Manufacturing public perception: big lies, alternative facts, and controlled language

The chapter argues that propaganda techniques of the 20th century, such as the production of “big lies” and “alternative facts” remain central in contemporary attempts to persuade people to believe in falsehoods. Likewise, pre-propaganda, the control of language, and the rewriting of history, which Jacques Ellul and George Orwell described in their seminal works, continue to be at the forefront of contemporary propagandistic strategies. Using examples that range from the Spanish Civil War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the chapter discusses how today’s propaganda can be understood through the lens of concepts that have shed light on how earlier regimes and leaders used propaganda to lead people to support war and authoritarian regimes. By looking into examples from the past, the chapter also discusses citizens’ agency in countering propaganda and how subversive media consumption practices can help circumvent the control imposed by dictators on people’s access to information.