Subject: Theory of Communication
By: Hamid Bahraam, MA JMC
EFL University, HYD

• Definition: Propaganda is a mode
of communication used to
manipulate or influence the opinion
of groups to support a particular
cause or belief, over the centuries,
propaganda has taken the form of
artwork, films, speeches, and music,
though it’s not limited to these
forms of communication.
• Purpose: The purpose of
propaganda is to influence people
and try to get them to hold a
certain belief or set of beliefs.
Usually, when we use the word
“Propaganda” we use it in a
negative way, the purpose of
Propaganda is to influence people
to believe something that is bad.

• 1 White Propaganda: Concept was developed still has been using today
in PRA. This is a technique use to promote positive information or ideas to
distract attention from problematic events.
• 2 Black Propaganda: Is deliberate transmission of lies.
• 3 Gray Propaganda: Is transmission of information or ideas that might
be or might not be false. No effort is made to determine their validity.

• 1 Bandwagon: Aims at persuading people to do a certain thing, because many other
people are doing it.
• 2 Testimonial: Uses words of an expert or a famous person to promote a particular
idea. Ex: A sportsperson is shown, recommending a brand shoes.
• 3 Transfer: Qualities of a well-known person are associated with a product to promote
or demote it. It is also used during war time.
• 4 Repetition: When the product name is repeated many times during and ad.
• 5 Emotional: This means to generate positive feeling in the minds of the masses.
Words like “ luxury” or a “Paradise” are used to evoke certain feelings in the minds of
people which they associate with the product.

• The purpose of Propaganda changes as it is used in different contexts.
When used by the government, its objective is to gain the support of the
citizens and to shape their opinions, emotions attitude and behaviors to
benefit the nation.

• Wartime Propaganda is so important that it can often be used as a weapon
because of the power that comes with public support. The ability to win
public support can be just as Important as the ability to win fight or the war.
Wartime Propaganda has been a major influence in many, if not all, of the
major wars.

• “Propaganda” is used at different times for different reasons, and it
comes in a wide variety of forms. The most easily identifiable and
understandable use of propaganda is during the war, in which victory or
defeat can depend a great deal on public support.
• Nazi party’s propaganda during WW2! ( Economic depression of German)
and Jews hoarding money.
• During WW2, the US also frequently relied on Propaganda for public
Support, uncle Sam image, “ I want You”. Inviting people to join military.

• Claims media provide external stimuli that
triggered immediate response.
• Stimulus response psychology
• Human action is conditioned to external stimuli
• Consciousness rationalized behaviors, after they
are triggered by external stimuli
• By studying association between stimuli and
behaviors, these theorists hope to discover the
unknown causes for actin.
• Human behavior is product of the conflict between id,
ego, and superego
• Self has fragmented parts like, id, ego, and superego. Ego
(the rational mind) is in control, but sometimes human
behavior is under the control of darker part of the
human mind which is id(egocentric, pleasure seeking
part of self)
• Ego relies on internalized set of cultural rules (the
superego) for guidance
• If propaganda appeals to the id and stimulate it to
overwhelm the ego.

• “Propaganda” messages were like Magic bullets that could easily penetrate even
the strongest defenses’ Media could operate as external agents and be used as
tools to manipulate essentially passive mass audiences.
• Media stimuli operates like Magic bullet penetrating human minds and creating
strong emotions and transform how they think and feel.
• This theory hope that people can be conditioned to generate good emotion with
their country and bad emotions with enemies.
• People are powerless before media messages.
• The rational mind is incapable of resisting powerful messages.

• Lipmann sharing the skepticism of Lasswell focused on the discrepancies between the world outside and the
pictures in our heads.
• People couldn’t learn enough from media to help them understand .
• Psychological and social barriers that prevented average people from developing useful pictures in their
heads.( a steel worker doesn’t understand physics, so, why should he be expected to understand politics?)
• Public was vulnerable to propaganda. Media control is necessary.
• Self censorship wouldn’t enough.
• Control of information gathering and distribution in the hands of technocracy who are using scientific
method.
• Lipmann suggests the establishment of quasi governmental intelligence bureau to evaluate information.

• Comes from critical theory and political left. The subject of this theory is political ads and
discourse. Their argument is that powerful elites control the media and their content to impose
their truth.
• Herman’s five filter for bridging media business and other formal or informal agencies like
government collectives and lobbies to create confusion.
• Ownership
• Advertising
• Sourcing
• Flack
• Belief in the miracle of the market.

• The half of 20th century was a highly traumatic period which the basic principles of
democracy were tested.
• The power of mass media was demonstrated by totalitarian propagandists who used media
to convert millions to their ideas.
• Early theorists combined Freudianism & Behaviorism to argue that propaganda messages
were like magic bullet that could easily and instantly penetrate even the strongest defenses,
no one is safe from their power to convert.
• Harlod Lasswell held that propaganda typically influenced people in slow & subtle ways.
• Both Magic bullet and Lasswell’s theories assumed that media could operate as external
agents and be used as tools to manipulate essentially passive mass audience.