The release of the Epstein files has revealed a disturbing truth that goes beyond the horrific crimes being exposed. Our country is so divided, and the propaganda being used against us is so effective, that we can’t get on the same page and demand justice. While many conservatives are still clinging to the Q-“trust the plan” narrative, insisting that the files vindicate President Trump, there is a deeper, more disturbing reality that many Americans are not looking at. As a country, we have become so addicted to entertainment that we fail to stop and think about what we are really witnessing. All of our decisions, our worldviews, beliefs, opinions and attitudes are formed by the information we expose ourselves to. That information, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, is controlled and meant to shape our perceptions of reality. Republicans and Democrats, for example, both cling tightly to the respective narratives parroted by the news networks they choose to watch. These narratives are cleverly crafted with an intent to persuade audiences into abandoning critical thought and just follow along. In fact, these narratives are written to reflect the pre-existing cognitive biases of the audience. Mass persuasion is always more effective when it targets the beliefs and psychological dispositions of those receiving the message. Why? Because it affirms those beliefs as reality when they are presented by what appears to be, an official source of important information.
At defenseofournation.com, I have written a great deal on the methods of persuasion and its relation to propaganda. Researchers are starting to turn their attention towards the effectiveness of something called narrative persuasion. They have found that stories, or narratives, are effective methods of achieving attitude change. What we are witnessing in the media, concerning the Epstein files, or any other major event, is very much presented in narrative form. If researchers are discovering narratives are an effective means of persuasion, then it must be considered that they are using that knowledge in the media. The book, Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, after all, states that the purpose of the media is to overcome the psychological barriers to change. This means that the media narratives are crafted to get the audience to accept the persuaders’, or propagandists’, point of view. In other words —
Read Full Article: https://thewashingtonstandard.com/stories-narratives-emerging-revelations-in-persuasion-research/
