Propaganda

Eye opening! Descriptive of how propaganda shapes the masses.

I really enjoy this book. It helps you understand things kind of uncommon these days for being understood.

Key Takeaway: This was pre-CIA! Bernays relies heavily on his definition of propaganda, which was a very wide and all-encompassing lens. He uses the word 160 times - almost once or page. Social sciences, especially intelligence and what the US military calls PSYOP or now MISO - military information support operations - is more evolved and refined now. What Bernays discusses with that one term, "propaganda," while mostly still valid, regards marketing, advertising, broadcasting, etc overall. Propaganda has a negative connotation to most because government, corporate, and elite influence efforts, such as in the 2008 GFC, invasion of Iraq, etc. Bernays would be saddened.

On. Point

I heard the name of Edward Bernays mentioned in a couple of podcasts as the nephew of Sigmund Freud (the famous psychoanalyst) and the uncle of Marc Randolph (the co-founder of Netflix). When I discovered that he had authored a book, I was quick to pick it up. I am deeply fascinated by what drives human behavior and who better to learn from than the “father of public relations” himself. The word propaganda is a loaded term and we tend to associate it with negative connotations but, as Bernays explains, anyone seeking to be influential in this world needs to become a propagandist. At it’s core, propaganda is influencing the masses to think a certain way. Of course, this power of influence has been leveraged by bad actors for nefarious means, and that’s why it’s so important to read this book so that you don’t fall victim to it. At the end of the day, whatever role you play in life, becoming a propagandist will make you more effective at it. Whether that means propagating the idea of dental hygiene to your kids or propagating the idea of why someone should by your product, it comes down to the ability to influence someone’s patterns of thought—and propaganda is about doing that at a mass scale. This was an interesting read for sure and I would recommend it to anyone looking to become an independent thinker in this world. Learning how to wield the power of propaganda is especially important for the heart-centered individuals that are sincerely looking to elevate humanity. Unfortunately, it is the bad actors that have become more effective at this art.

There is very little in this book about the psychology, and methods of propaganda. Much of it, is about the philosophy and history. Not bad but disappointing. The book does not enter the details. The methods of mass influence have become much more sophisticated and scientific in recent years, and I hoped to get more from this book.

A bracing, unsettling classic. Propaganda doesn’t ask to be admired so much as understood. Bernays lays out plainly and without apology, how mass opinion is shaped, steered, and manufactured, and in doing so removes the comfort of believing we’re immune to influence. What makes the book endure is its clarity: once you see the machinery, you can’t unsee it. Read it not for cynicism, but for literacy. It’s less a manual for manipulators than a warning for citizens who’d like to stay sovereign.

This book is a must read for everyone. The concepts contained within are as relevant today as they were in the 1920’s. Even in places where the author is talking about radio and television, the ideas and applications are easily transferable to today’s social media. Depending on your perspective, this book is just as much a warning as it is a user guide regarding propaganda. If you think this book is antiquated, you are missing the point. This book needs no updated version. By reading the words as originally written you get to see the true historical context of propaganda in use.

Will truth ever return as a standard?

Muy interesante!!!!

A brilliant work, ahead of its time & something everyone should familiarise themselves with.

Verschwörungstheoretiker, Schwurbler, Querdenker … wird Bernays nicht genannt, könnte man aber meinen. Sollten vor allem die Menschen lesen, die ganz schnell mit solchen Bezeichnungen bei der Hand sind, denn hier wird aufgezeigt, wie die Mächtigen (gar nicht mal die Politiker) versuchen im unbekannten Meinungen und Geschicke zu lenken.

Optimistic and prophetic