In Propaganda and Persuasion (2019), Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell define propaganda as: "the deliberate, systemic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."1This is the general definition whenever the term "propaganda" is used throughout this exhibit. Meanwhile, "white propaganda" refers to propaganda that is neither false nor deceitful but shapes perceptions and furthers the desired intent of the propagandists. In contrast, "black" and "grey propaganda" are at least false or deceptive.2
Background Information
The study of propaganda is as much the study of technology as the story of how information circulates and is broadcast in a society and the subsequent effects. Prior to the 19th century, there were many limits which posed difficulties to mass communication. Propaganda not only requires some sort of mass media to disseminate the preferred material but a mass audience to reach as well. Thus, it was only with the development of media and transportation well into the 19th and 20th centuries that the full potential of propaganda was realized. The Spanish-American War demonstrated the power of such mass propaganda and its ability to sway public opinion to the point of waging war.
It wasn't until the First World War, however, that alarm over propaganda usage for deception was raised due to its utilization for such means by the enemy. By the Second World War, propaganda had become an extensively and systemically investigated field of study, making it much easier to make use of in the most effective and extensive way possible. During the Cold War, the United States was put to the test when, for the first time, it was forced to defend itself against propaganda on an international level. The rise of the Internet further complicated the information battle with its speed and uncontrollability, issues governments today have yet to overcome by popular and legal means.
Changes in the mass audience also guided the evolution of propaganda. Since mass propaganda aims to appeal to as many people as possible, it must appeal to the majority and whatever biases and beliefs they hold. In this way, different propaganda pieces can also reveal much about the society and people of their time. In America, this can be seen in changes of opinion regarding issues such as race, gender, sexuality, and religion as the country became less and less homogenous over time. However, it becomes increasingly unclear whether it is the people influencing the propaganda or the other way around. Inevitably, propaganda becomes an inextricable and almost invisible component of culture and society.