Modern propaganda feels less like being told what to think and more like arriving at "your own" conclusions—thanks to algorithms feeding on our biases. As someone who's worked in consumer and political marketing, I see the same tactics at play: personalization, emotional hooks, and amplification. It’s not just manipulation—it’s manufactured discovery.
Okay. I am a believer. I was looking up the definition of the word polemic on my PC used in "Twilight of Democracy (hard copy)," Then suddenly (it seemed), on my ipad, I received a notification from NYT book review on the book "Sociopath, A memoir",and THEN Libby sent me a notification that the book was available to borrow. At which point I borrowed it. I guess that answers my question...Would a newspaper have alogrithms or is it specific to search/ecommerce engines? How is this monetized?
Algorithms are not my area of expertise, so I recommend you search around for experts to follow. It's a very complex and evolving space. It's in practically everything connected to some type of data storage and analytics, and it is wildly successful.
Great stuff, CI! It seems essential in this conversation to specify what propaganda actually is. Pre-social media, it was generally seen as content designed and intended to close minds. In the age of algorithms though, it seems like the “closing” part isn’t the result of an intentional, simplifying interpretation of information. Instead, it’s a feature of a reassurance system. Many of us seem to crave that sort of distributed “mind-closing” because of our inability to fully tolerate the ambiguity and incoherence of contemporary life.
It’s also interesting to note that, while your posting isn’t propaganda (since you’re not trying to close minds), you do use certain concepts that depend on a propagandistic understanding we already have. The best example is the discussion of “the media” and its dilemmas. Who is “the media,” though, and do they collectively have an identity? The New York Times? Joe Rogan? The Economist? National Review? We need simplification to discuss pretty much anything, but the inevitable result is built-in conclusions.
I wholeheartedly agree. I worried about how to identify "the media" trying a few different adjectives to see if that helped, but finally had to settle for clarity over complexity. Always a challenge, so much thanks for adding this valuable insight.
Modern propaganda feels less like being told what to think and more like arriving at "your own" conclusions—thanks to algorithms feeding on our biases. As someone who's worked in consumer and political marketing, I see the same tactics at play: personalization, emotional hooks, and amplification. It’s not just manipulation—it’s manufactured discovery.
exactly Eric. Unfortunately very few people realize this yet.
Okay. I am a believer. I was looking up the definition of the word polemic on my PC used in "Twilight of Democracy (hard copy)," Then suddenly (it seemed), on my ipad, I received a notification from NYT book review on the book "Sociopath, A memoir",and THEN Libby sent me a notification that the book was available to borrow. At which point I borrowed it. I guess that answers my question...Would a newspaper have alogrithms or is it specific to search/ecommerce engines? How is this monetized?
Algorithms are not my area of expertise, so I recommend you search around for experts to follow. It's a very complex and evolving space. It's in practically everything connected to some type of data storage and analytics, and it is wildly successful.
Great stuff, CI! It seems essential in this conversation to specify what propaganda actually is. Pre-social media, it was generally seen as content designed and intended to close minds. In the age of algorithms though, it seems like the “closing” part isn’t the result of an intentional, simplifying interpretation of information. Instead, it’s a feature of a reassurance system. Many of us seem to crave that sort of distributed “mind-closing” because of our inability to fully tolerate the ambiguity and incoherence of contemporary life.
It’s also interesting to note that, while your posting isn’t propaganda (since you’re not trying to close minds), you do use certain concepts that depend on a propagandistic understanding we already have. The best example is the discussion of “the media” and its dilemmas. Who is “the media,” though, and do they collectively have an identity? The New York Times? Joe Rogan? The Economist? National Review? We need simplification to discuss pretty much anything, but the inevitable result is built-in conclusions.
Lots of dilemmas.
I wholeheartedly agree. I worried about how to identify "the media" trying a few different adjectives to see if that helped, but finally had to settle for clarity over complexity. Always a challenge, so much thanks for adding this valuable insight.