Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 10: Believe in truth
Nazis excelled at propaganda by using it to push forth their ideology by demonizing the enemies of their party (Jews, communists, capitalists, intellectuals). They used radio, large rallies, pamphlets, posters, movies, etc. to spread the message. One way, Hitler kept himself present in the minds of all Germans every day was requiring that the Nazi salute be used as a public greeting and that the salutation be accompanied with “Heil Hitler.” It helped maintain the cult of personality around Hitler.
Political parties (tyrannical regimes among them) now have powerful tools to spread their messaging and propaganda. Through television, social media, SMS messaging, email, and more, they can amplify their messaging and permeate nearly every aspect of our lives. Technology allows them to maintain a constant presence, shaping perceptions and influencing behaviour…if we let them.
tRump differs from past presidents in how he communicates directly with his supporters. His office frequently emails followers, promoting merchandise and reinforcing his messaging. He also posts directly to Truth Social, where his statements are widely shared across other social media platforms and picked up by mainstream news outlets, further expanding his reach. Many celebrities benefit from social media because it allows them to connect directly with their fans. This immediacy makes followers feel special — as if they have a personal connection and are part of the celebrity’s life. tRump understands the power of these platforms to persuade, influence, and build trust with his supporters.
He’s not alone — other world leaders are using social media to cultivate dedicated followings. For example, Narendra Modi has the most followers on Instagram in India, while Elon Musk holds the top spot on X. An MIT study titled “Cheap Tweets?: Crisis Signaling in the Age of Twitter” found that social media posts from leaders are often taken just as seriously as official statements, underscoring the power these platforms have in shaping public perception. So there’s a dual power for leaders on these platforms. It not only helps their own “cults of personality” but it also sends out official party messages.
In a post-truth world — or perhaps we should call it a “tRump-truth” world — facts are increasingly becoming irrelevant. The truth is inconvenient to those in power, so efforts are increased to suppress it, obscure it, and contradict it. In these times of rampant disinformation, it’s more important than ever not only to believe in truth but to actively seek it, recognize it when you see it, and understand it. As for combatting it Jane R outlined some great tips here: https://www.bookclubfriends.com/2025/02/24/fighting-disinformation/.
I also think providing concrete visuals to people can be very helpful in countering the often emotive and vague messaging around propaganda. For example, I noted that when fentanyl from Canada has been discussed we have it being presented differently by the leaders. In addressing Congress recently tRump said: Mexico and Canada “have allowed fentanyl to come into our country at levels never seen before, killing hundreds of thousands of our citizens and many very young, beautiful people, destroying families. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.” Notice how emotive his language is (killing and destroying families), and how vague and alarmist (levels never seen before, nobody’s ever seen anything like it), and how provocative (the countries have “allowed” it to come in…to kill Americans.)
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in response that smuggling from Canada contributes less than 1% of the fentanyl street supply in the U.S. That’s factual, yes but it is also vague. Personally, I don’t know what the total street supply is so I can’t attribute an amount to the 1%. It also doesn’t tell me how many people this amount can potentially harm. I’m not left with a clear visual.
Then there’s the facts and figures from the DEA. In 2024 they reported seizing 20,610 pounds of fentanyl at official ports of entry along the Southwest U.S. border, compared to just 50 pounds seized at the Northern border.(source: https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-fentanyl-is-seized-at-us-borders/country/united-states/). These facts help me visualize more clearly the scope of the problem in comparison to Mexico and gives me a concrete visual of how much.
The reason I have outlined the three different messages around fentanyl is to point out how visual tRump’s language is in comparison to facts. Yet facts can be improved with visual aids, whether it be through better wording or through charts and infographics. Visualization of facts could be a tool to try against propaganda. That’s in part I think because people process visuals quickly.
One of the points Jane R mentions is building supportive communities and connections. I think this is a big one too and would encourage connecting with people face-to-face. I strongly believe real-life interactions will help counterbalance the false realities circulating online.
