Propaganda
Product ID: 600544530
Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to Cameroon.
2024 Reprint of the 1928 Edition. Propaganda, an influential book written by Bernays in 1928, incorporated the literature from social science and psychological manipulation into an examination of the techniques of public communication. Bernays wrote the book in response to the success of some of his earlier works such as Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923) and A Public Relations Counsel (1927). Propaganda explored the psychology behind manipulating masses and the ability to use symbolic action and propaganda to influence politics, consumer choices and corporate image, which we now call "branding". Walter Lippmann was Bernays' unacknowledged American mentor and his work The Phantom Public greatly influenced the ideas expressed in Propaganda a year later. The work propelled Bernays into media historians' view of him as the "father of public relations." Bernay's manual of mass manipulation provides a detailed examination of how public discourse and opinion are shaped and controlled in politics, business, art, education, and science. In a world dominated by political spin and media manipulation, Propaganda is an essential read for all who wish to understand how power is used by the ruling elite of our society. The nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays (1891-1995) pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he called "engineering of consent.'" During World War I, he was an integral part--along with Walter Lippmann--of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda machine that advertised and sold the war to the American people as one that would "Make the World Safe for Democracy." The marketing strategies for all future wars would be based on the CPI model. Over the next half century, Bernays, combining the techniques he had learned in the CPI with the ideas of Lippmann and Freud, fashioned a career as an outspoken proponent of the engineering of consent for political and corporate influence of the population, earning the moniker "father of public relations." Among his powerful clients were President Calvin Coolidge, Procter & Gamble, CBS, the American Tobacco Company, and General Electric, and the United Fruit Company. Review: Learn the psychology of mass influence - I heard the name of Edward Bernays mentioned in a couple of podcasts as the nephew of Sigmund Freud (the famous psychoanalyst) and the uncle of Marc Randolph (the co-founder of Netflix). When I discovered that he had authored a book, I was quick to pick it up. I am deeply fascinated by what drives human behavior and who better to learn from than the “father of public relations” himself. The word propaganda is a loaded term and we tend to associate it with negative connotations but, as Bernays explains, anyone seeking to be influential in this world needs to become a propagandist. At it’s core, propaganda is influencing the masses to think a certain way. Of course, this power of influence has been leveraged by bad actors for nefarious means, and that’s why it’s so important to read this book so that you don’t fall victim to it. At the end of the day, whatever role you play in life, becoming a propagandist will make you more effective at it. Whether that means propagating the idea of dental hygiene to your kids or propagating the idea of why someone should by your product, it comes down to the ability to influence someone’s patterns of thought—and propaganda is about doing that at a mass scale. This was an interesting read for sure and I would recommend it to anyone looking to become an independent thinker in this world. Learning how to wield the power of propaganda is especially important for the heart-centered individuals that are sincerely looking to elevate humanity. Unfortunately, it is the bad actors that have become more effective at this art. Review: An Unsettling Classic! - A bracing, unsettling classic. Propaganda doesn’t ask to be admired so much as understood. Bernays lays out plainly and without apology, how mass opinion is shaped, steered, and manufactured, and in doing so removes the comfort of believing we’re immune to influence. What makes the book endure is its clarity: once you see the machinery, you can’t unsee it. Read it not for cynicism, but for literacy. It’s less a manual for manipulators than a warning for citizens who’d like to stay sovereign.
| Best Sellers Rank | #13,424 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Propaganda & Political Psychology #14 in Advertising (Books) #21 in Communication & Media Studies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 828 Reviews |
S**M
Learn the psychology of mass influence
I heard the name of Edward Bernays mentioned in a couple of podcasts as the nephew of Sigmund Freud (the famous psychoanalyst) and the uncle of Marc Randolph (the co-founder of Netflix). When I discovered that he had authored a book, I was quick to pick it up. I am deeply fascinated by what drives human behavior and who better to learn from than the “father of public relations” himself. The word propaganda is a loaded term and we tend to associate it with negative connotations but, as Bernays explains, anyone seeking to be influential in this world needs to become a propagandist. At it’s core, propaganda is influencing the masses to think a certain way. Of course, this power of influence has been leveraged by bad actors for nefarious means, and that’s why it’s so important to read this book so that you don’t fall victim to it. At the end of the day, whatever role you play in life, becoming a propagandist will make you more effective at it. Whether that means propagating the idea of dental hygiene to your kids or propagating the idea of why someone should by your product, it comes down to the ability to influence someone’s patterns of thought—and propaganda is about doing that at a mass scale. This was an interesting read for sure and I would recommend it to anyone looking to become an independent thinker in this world. Learning how to wield the power of propaganda is especially important for the heart-centered individuals that are sincerely looking to elevate humanity. Unfortunately, it is the bad actors that have become more effective at this art.
I**Z
An Unsettling Classic!
A bracing, unsettling classic. Propaganda doesn’t ask to be admired so much as understood. Bernays lays out plainly and without apology, how mass opinion is shaped, steered, and manufactured, and in doing so removes the comfort of believing we’re immune to influence. What makes the book endure is its clarity: once you see the machinery, you can’t unsee it. Read it not for cynicism, but for literacy. It’s less a manual for manipulators than a warning for citizens who’d like to stay sovereign.
R**L
Great Primer for Early Propaganda Theory
Key Takeaway: This was pre-CIA! Bernays relies heavily on his definition of propaganda, which was a very wide and all-encompassing lens. He uses the word 160 times - almost once or page. Social sciences, especially intelligence and what the US military calls PSYOP or now MISO - military information support operations - is more evolved and refined now. What Bernays discusses with that one term, "propaganda," while mostly still valid, regards marketing, advertising, broadcasting, etc overall. Propaganda has a negative connotation to most because government, corporate, and elite influence efforts, such as in the 2008 GFC, invasion of Iraq, etc. Bernays would be saddened.
A**R
Excellent read
The more we can learn about how much we are lied to on a daily basis the better off we will be. Propaganda is literally saturating every avenue of our lives and most just gobble it up. Everything we hear, see, read is manipulated for a purpose.
B**L
A MUST READ
This book is a must read for everyone. The concepts contained within are as relevant today as they were in the 1920’s. Even in places where the author is talking about radio and television, the ideas and applications are easily transferable to today’s social media. Depending on your perspective, this book is just as much a warning as it is a user guide regarding propaganda. If you think this book is antiquated, you are missing the point. This book needs no updated version. By reading the words as originally written you get to see the true historical context of propaganda in use.
C**N
Interesting but difficult read.
Good information but difficult to read in the format presented
K**N
Solid
Great price for such an important book.
L**)
Good info
Glad I purchased this book for my collection. Great information. Knowledge is power.
A**O
Want to know how the media spins?
Will truth ever return as a standard?
J**A
Print quality awful
The book came with many pages not printed and missing. Worst quality.
G**O
Não é apenas uma leitura para passar o tempo
Simplesmente leitura fluida, livro muito bom, recomendo para quem deseja se aprofundar realmente cabeça no assunto.
V**S
Worth reading to understand events and how they affect us
Frightening when you read how the events of the past have changed our world, and not necessarily for the better.
M**N
Achtung! Nur hellwach lesen!
Sehr aufschlussreiches Buch. Da Bernays Propaganda verkauft, quillt schon die erste Seite vor Propaganda über. Wenn Sie also am Ende des Buchs nicht gehirngewaschen sein wollen (dann wäre Propaganda für Sie plötzlich das Nonplusultra - Gott, bewahre!): Nur einzelne Seiten lesen, genau gucken, wo die Manipulation steckt und Stift benutzen, um die korrekte Version (ohne Manipulation) daneben zu schreiben. Wenn Sie das das ganze Buch lang durchhalten, haben Sie Neos rote Pille geschluckt und Sie sind Propaganda-immun. Da geht Ihnen dann ein echtes Licht auf.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
2 days ago