Digital propaganda

Propaganda is a very old concept. We can say that the concept of "propaganda" emerges in the process of interpersonal communication when an individual initiates a dialogue with an interlocutor, tries to express their own views and feelings, or attempts to persuade them of something they believe in. While propaganda messages were transmitted through traditional mass media in the past, today the most accurate and suitable place for propaganda is what is referred to in academic sources as "new media." The Oxford Dictionary defines the concept of "new media" as "mass communication tools that use digital technologies such as the internet." 

Social networks, which we call new media, cannot be easily controlled. In general, it is easier to reach all segments of society and users of different ages. Access to various sources of information and entertainment is becoming easier. Due to these characteristics of new media, propaganda messages have found a new area of development, and propaganda strategies have been linked to new technological trends. We can say that the opportunities that new media offers to those who transmit messages make propaganda resemble an art that is constantly developing and transforming. This field is turning into a real competitive environment. Interactivity, instant reaction, the disappearance of physical spaces, and cost reduction are among the fundamental features of digital propaganda.

In the age of information technology, the volume of information has reached maximum capacity; in other words, society as a whole has had to deal with a massive amount of information. Due to constant "information bombardment" and information pollution, people's ability to analyze the information received is greatly diminished, and people are often confused. They find themselves in situations where they do not know who or what to believe. 21st-century society can no longer control the flow of information. It has lost the ability to be selective in the global information pool. Furthermore, for people in a society to understand what they read, listen to, and watch, and to adopt a critical attitude, they must possess a high level of media literacy.

One of the problems created by social media is that its users often fall into traps such as fake news, deepfake (a system used to create fake videos), and even cheapfake (digital content produced quickly and at low cost). These are shared virally and receive likes and comments from various people. New media allows the propagandist to deliver the message to a much wider and more diverse target audience. For this reason, the digital space is a much more competitive place for propagandists because, in addition to those who send the messages, the consumers are also becoming increasingly diverse. At the same time, it should be noted that the consumers or recipients of the messages also become propagandists, which further strengthens propaganda in the digital environment. Driven by ideological beliefs as well as natural human instincts, each of us participates in the process of spreading information.

Researchers Alicia Walness and Michael Berk first described this situation as the "Participatory Propaganda" model. This model works with a very large amount of information distributed not by a single person, but by masses sending messages in a chain, using a "snowball" logic. That is, both I and you, dear reader, contribute to the process of spreading a message through the links you open or share. However, the difficulty of distinguishing lies from the truth arises precisely here. One of the dangers in the online environment is the formation of "echo chambers," where supporters of the same idea are found and discussions are held from only a single point of view. This term is the exact opposite of critical dialogue because it does not offer the chance to compare different ideas.

The open access of online platforms has provided terrorist organizations and groups with the opportunity to spread propaganda messages that can be accessed by millions of users. For example, videos or photos published by terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Shabaab, and ISIS become viral shortly after they are published.

Japanese-American political scientist Francis Fukuyama, in his article "How to Save Democracy from Technology" published in "Foreign Affairs" magazine in 2021, discusses the impact of these platforms on democracy by referring to the algorithms that social networks operate on and that dictate to individuals what to consume on these platforms. At the same time, he also wonders what would happen if someone without the power of judgment were to cause algorithms to change by ignoring any ethical norms and subtly promoting only certain ideas or political orientations. This would be a real threat to democracy. 

Fukuyama asks, "How will we save democracy from technology?" We should also ask ourselves this question.