Basil Jarrett | Protect yourself from the media manipulators

LAST WEEK, I wrote about the awesome power of the media to control and manipulate minds. I spoke about the lessons that the Nazi propagandists of the Third Reich had taught us, and showed how dangerous a weaponised mass media can be. I acknowledged the impact of propaganda, even in modern times, on our collective thoughts and psyche, citing examples of the Vietnam War, the Arab Spring, and the 2016 Trump campaign.

The discussion extended to the influence of corporations, governments, and the evolving landscape of social media, and ended by asking the question of how to defend ourselves against media manipulation. This week, I want to propose several actions that can guard and insulate us against the machinations of the media puppet masters.

With due regard to today’s ubiquitous media landscape, a key battleground for influence, safeguarding one’s cognitive autonomy should be an imperative task. I want to think that the foods I consume, the politicians I vote for, and the beliefs and opinions I hold are the result of my own internal process of rational, logical and emotional decision-making, and not the result of a careful and deliberate effort to manage and manipulate my feelings and actions. This is more complex than it sounds as our thoughts and actions are heavily impacted by our upbringing, our cognitive biases, the media content we consume, and a host of other external stimuli. The multifaceted impact of all these factors coming to bear on our senses means, therefore, that a similarly multifaceted approach is needed to effectively guard against media manipulation.

MEDIA LITERACY

Outside of wrapping our heads in tinfoil, the first place to start, I believe, is with media literacy education. This is the first line of defence and a cornerstone of effectively countering media manipulation. This may necessarily mean that we begin to integrate media literacy into our educational curricula much earlier in life, along with similar efforts to develop our critical thinking skills and abilities. This will not only enable us to discern credible sources of information, but also help us to analyse media messaging, recognise cognitive biases, and decode the tactics employed by the master media manipulators.

This is admittedly a difficult task, as the most effective propaganda tactics typically masquerade as something harmless. For example, I joined Instagram about four weeks ago, and I can’t tell you how many social media influencers have already lined up in my inbox peddling everything from relationship advice to thoughts on masculinity, and tips to improve my one-rep bench press max.

That first one, I’m a bit uneasy about as I’m told that the algorithm decides what to send you, based on your previous searches or on content you’ve liked, shared or spent more than a few seconds on. I promise, I have not been scanning the Internet looking for advice on how to understand women, as I’ve long accepted that this is an exercise in futility. But I digress.

VARY YOUR MEDIA SOURCES

Another useful tactic to help protect yourself from media manipulation is to consume a varied media diet, in order to break down the echo chamber effect of seeking out information that reinforces and repeats your ideas and beliefs. By getting information from a variety of sources, including those that challenge your existing views, a more balanced, more comprehensive appreciation of complex issues can be gained.

During the 2016 US elections, for example, most Americans were either in the CNN or the Fox News camp. I chose to straddle both. You may want to be a bit careful with this one, however, as your standing among your peers may take a hit if you’re caught on the wrong side of the fence doing ‘competitor research’. On one occasion, I accidentally left the TV on Fox News after a night of listening to alternative facts. The next day, some friends who were visiting were startled into silence when the TV screamed pro-Trump headlines as soon as it was turned on. To this day, I still get a suspicious side-eye whenever the conversation turns to anything to do with race, politics or human rights in the US.

In all seriousness though, being exposed to different viewpoints is critical in fortifying yourself against one-sided narratives, groupthink and propaganda.

FACT-CHECKING

Another important, yet admittedly inconvenient practice to bullet-proof your mind against misinformation, is to fact-check and verify everything. This is easier said than done, however, as I too was guilty of forwarding that Kanye West boat video without checking if it was in fact Yeezus himself. But the importance of fact-checking the information that pops up on our social media pages cannot be overstated.

At the policy level, it may also be useful to consider regulations that hold media entities more responsible for the content they push, by advocating for greater transparency and accountability. Media outlets should be compelled to disclose their ownership, funding sources, and potential conflicts of interest. This will not only empower audiences to assess biases and motivations in content, but also ensure ethical reporting practices. Fox News, for example, does not attempt to hide the fact that it is a right-wing propaganda mouthpiece, and I’m fine with that. At least they’re honest about it. Perhaps our local media houses should be forced to similarly declare their biases up front.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA GORILLA

These suggestions are all noteworthy and useful. But some may say they are idealistic and don’t address the million-pound gorilla in the room – social media.

The awesome power of social media platforms to mislead and distort was on full display during the COVID pandemic, as the danger of misinformation was propelled to dizzying new heights. This wild-wild west of propaganda is arguably the most difficult terrain to manage, but the measures outlined still have some utility. While a major part of any attempt to manage social media misinformation must come from the social media companies themselves, they will be the first to tell you that correcting misinformation and being the arbiters of truth is not part of their core business model.

So where do we go from here? Recognising the enormity of the challenge, it would be overly pessimistic to consider this a losing battle. Instead, a collective commitment from individuals, societies, and institutions is critical to counteract undue media influence. By instilling media literacy in education, diversifying our information sources, fact-checking, and championing media transparency, we can begin to fortify our minds and our democracy against media manipulation. In doing so, we are also paving the way for a society that values critical thinking, discernment, and the pursuit of truth over sensationalism and propaganda.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanrjm.com.