Ellul went on to say and modern research supports) that “Those who read the press of their group and listen to the radio of their group are constantly reinforced in their allegiance.” (p. Regarding “filter bubbles,” Ellul wrote “Propaganda tends to make the individual live in a separate world he must not have outside points of reference.” (p. Amplifying supportive voices while minimizing opposing ones occurs in what we now call “ filter bubbles.” Strengthening those connections and making the connected group even more like-minded can be accomplished through amplifying information that reinforces common views and minimizing exposure to information that effectively challenges shared views. Mass movements arise from the connection of motivated people with like-minded others. However, technology now allows us ever-greater market segmentation, and therefore ever-smaller groups can be targeted with disinformation based on their shared views. He is reduced to an average and, except for a small percentage, action based on averages will be effectual.” (p. Ellul speaks to those concerns.Īddressing targeting the populace, decades before big data and micro-targeting, Ellul wrote that in propaganda “…the individual never is considered as an individual, but always in terms of what he has in common with others, such as his motivations, his feelings, or his myths. We have a responsibility to grasp how disinformation targeting the populace can challenge defense. Western nations have again become concerned about propaganda and disinformation due to the actions of the Chinese and Russian governments. His views now seem prescient in light of computational propaganda.Įllul describes what we now call the information element of national power in stark terms. Author of over 50 books and more than 1,000 articles, he was a renowned expert on propaganda and the effects of technology on society. Jacques Ellul was a French sociologist and philosopher who served as professor at the University of Bordeaux. Western nations have again become concerned about propaganda and disinformation due to the actions of the Chinese and Russian governments.Īn overlooked classic of information warfare/operations, disinformation, and fake news is Jacques Ellul’s Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes (1965).
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