Isn’t propaganda just a form of persuasion? What about propaganda separates it from advertising or interpersonal communication?

Edit: Not all propaganda involves lying. For some reason, we seem to be more comfortable with a person lying to us than we are with viewing a propaganda poster that uses verifiable facts.

Edit 2: Another interesting note is that in some countries, propaganda is not viewed negatively like it is in English speaking countries.

    • sbv@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      8·
      9 months ago

      Wiktionary suggests lying isn’t necessary:

      Biased communication aimed to influence an audience to further an agenda, encourage a particular perception or provoke an emotional response

      It’s very similar to the OED definition returned from Google.

      • CALIGVLA@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        4·
        9 months ago

        Merriam-Webster

        the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

        Cambridge

        information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people’s opinions

        Oxford

        The systematic dissemination of information, esp. in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a particular cause or point of view, often a political agenda. Also: information disseminated in this way; the means or media by which such ideas are disseminated. Cf. black propaganda n.

        Collins

        Propaganda is information, often inaccurate information, that a political organization publishes or broadcasts in order to influence people.

        Point being, even if it’s not necessarily all lies how do you know you’re not being lied to or mislead when most propaganda are, by definition, lies and half-truths? I don’t trust any sort of propaganda because chances are I’m being lied to.

        • VulKendov@reddthat.com
          1·
          9 months ago

          how do you know you’re not being lied to or mislead when most propaganda are, by definition, lies and half-truths?

          Research, dig deeper and come to your own conclusion.

      • MrZee@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        People use words in different ways. You will find varying definitions of propaganda. Some people will call any information produced by a government propaganda. Some people will only call that information propaganda if it appears to have a notable bias. Some will only call the info propaganda if it contains outright lies.

        You seem to want to define propaganda as any information produced by a government designed to pursuance people of something. Most people are not going to be against that kind of information (or at least not strongly against it). I’m pretty sure most people that say they are against propaganda view propaganda as information that is misleading or an outright lie.

        The problem here seems to be that you have taken the stance that propaganda simply means “persuasion”.