I find it very difficult to write about this topic, because most people seem unwilling to see my point of view. For most people there is only the dichotomy “rational” versus “irrational” — “differently rational” is not a category they feel comfortable with. [1] It is evident that the successful propagandist must understand the true… Continue reading Rational – Irrational – Differently Rational
Tag: manipulative
AI = PR
Today, “propaganda” is closely associated with dictatorship. It is the boot stamping down on faces. Here in Germany I hear it mentioned time and again in messaging about historical facts together with historical footage — usually Adolf Hitler screaming into a microphone. Yet propaganda also has a more innocent-looking face, which is (perhaps) in fact… Continue reading AI = PR
Economics of Information 2.0: Censorship
Just to remind you, last week I started off with: Traditionally, the field known as the “Economics of Information” has mainly been focused on how market prices happen (in the “supply and demand” scheme of things). “Economics of Information 2.0: Advertising“ And then I talked a bunch about how (predominantly online) advertising today has changed… Continue reading Economics of Information 2.0: Censorship
Dumb Americans
I sometimes have a way of saying things that people find awkward or even inappropriate, and I have a hunch the title I have chosen here is at high risk of becoming one of those situations. There is a lot to unpack here, and I don’t know if I will be able to unpack all… Continue reading Dumb Americans
Trusting the Sales Person
I have a hunch that gullible people are one of the biggest problems humanity faces today. It seems like used car sales persons have had a bad reputation since time immemorial, and what’s perhaps even more surprising is that time immemorial seems to go back no further than the invention of the automobile. Which people… Continue reading Trusting the Sales Person
Pretty Pictures
One nice thing about PDF documents is the pretty pictures. Granted: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this image shows the extreme disconnect between reported facts and actual reality like no other (in my not so humble opinion 😉 ). Anyone who believes that the advertising industry is all about honesty has… Continue reading Pretty Pictures
X did Y, and I don’t care
I am reflecting on my recent posts over the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago, I described how mainstream media uses “bait and switch” tactics to get suckers to look at advertising. [1] This is usually done with a headline that claims something sensationalist along the lines of “X did Y”. Last week, I went… Continue reading X did Y, and I don’t care
How to Become Someone or Something
First and foremost: You must change. If you simply stay the way you already are, you will never become someone (or something). Personally, I don’t want to become someone or something — I am very happy just being me. If you aren’t, then I guess there is no way around actually changing. So if you… Continue reading How to Become Someone or Something
Self-Made World
I want to describe a storyline that I notice is used time and again … indeed, so much that it seems as if it were repetitive enough to come across as suspicious … . This is the myth of the “self-made man” (or woman? why not person? probably because it lacks the alliteration 😉 ).… Continue reading Self-Made World
Literacy Study: The smug smile
I have been puzzling about this topic quite a bit — while the idea first came to me gradually, then in spurts, in the end what puzzled me most was how to frame it. There are probably innumerable approaches I could take — for example, how people sometimes talk about “reading a room”, “reading a… Continue reading Literacy Study: The smug smile
