Igor Eidman: “Propaganda brainwashing destroys individuality”

“Propaganda brainwashing destroys individuality, deprives a person of the ability to analyze information and defend his moral values. It is this technique that is used on Russian television. Take, for example, political talk shows. They use a whole range of similar methods,” the sociologist writes on his page onFacebook .

"1. "Trained" audience. At the sign of the "trainers" (editorial staff), it reinforces propaganda messages with a brightly positive emotional reaction, and shushes and discredits objectionable information. The task of the trained audience is to give TV viewers an example of the "correct" reaction to events. This is a game of desire people to be “like everyone else”, to agree with the opinion of the majority. The viewer involuntarily adapts his attitude to the information to the reaction of the audience to it in the studio. Thus, TV viewers form the picture of the world that propagandists need, which clearly states what to be happy about and what to be indignant at.

2. Game of giveaways. Many foreign “critics of Russia” on talk shows are fake characters. They work off the money they receive from the organizers, creating an “enemy image.” Their task is to lose to the Putinists, to make a repulsive impression on the public, thereby discrediting the true opponents of the Putin regime and their vision of reality.

3. Provoking a strong emotional reaction. Talk show participants constantly yell, swear, behave over-emotionally, and throw real tantrums and quarrels. Their task is to pump up emotions in viewers. Mass psychosis in television studios gives rise to mass psychosis in the country. In a state of emotional overexcitation, people lose the ability to objectively analyze information. They are easy to manipulate, and it is not difficult to get their support for any Putin’s adventure.

4. Jamming of alternative information. Soviet jammers filled Western radio with continuous noise. The organizers of modern propaganda talk shows work on the same model. They suppress objectionable opinions by instantly organizing the indignant roar of the audience, the angry cries of paid clackers and speakers, and then quickly intercepting the microphone from the troublemakers and passing it on to other, trusted participants.

5. The presenter is the conductor of the cacophony. What happens during a talk show seems like a cacophony. However, this “confusion instead of music” has a score, the precise execution of which is controlled by the “conductor”-presenter. He makes sure that the audience is brought to the desired degree of emotional arousal, so that all planned propaganda messages are conveyed to it; so that any truthful word that accidentally breaks through is muffled and humiliated.”