Wikipedia

Media manipulation

For other uses, see Manipulation.

Media manipulation refers to orchestrated campaigns in which actors exploit the distinctive features of broadcasting mass communications or digital media platforms to mislead, misinform, or create a narrative that advances their interests and agendas.[1][2][3]

Examples of televised manipulation can be found in news programs that can reach mass audiences. Pictured is the Polish newscast program Dziennik, infamous for having attempted to slander capitalism in then-communist Poland using emotive and loaded language.

In practice, media manipulation tactics may include the use of rhetorical strategies, including logical fallacies, deceptive content like disinformation, and propaganda techniques, and often involve the suppression of information or points of view by crowding them out, by inducing other people or groups of people to stop listening to certain arguments, or by simply diverting attention elsewhere. In Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes, Jacques Ellul writes that public opinion can only express itself through channels which are provided by the mass media of communication, without which there could be no propaganda.[4]

According to Data and Society, Internet subcultures it benefit from the present media ecosystem and it is used for those three things to manipulate news frame, as well to set agendas and to propagate ideas. In Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online it says "The Media's dependence on social media, analytics, and metrics, sensationalism, novelty over newsworthiness and clickbait makes them vulnerable to such media manipulation," by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis.

Contexts

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Advertising

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"Daisy", a TV commercial for the re-election of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. It aired only once, in September 1964, and is considered both one of the most controversial and one of the most effective political ads in American history.
Main article: Advertising

Advertising is a form of promotion that seeks to persuade a specific audience to purchase a good or service. As one of the first types of marketing, it aims to influence its target market to either buy, sell, or carry out a particular action.[5]

These advertisements are not only done by businesses but can also be done by other groups. Non-commercial advertisers are those who spend money on advertising in the hope of raising awareness for a cause or promoting specific ideas.[6]

Hoaxing

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Main article: Hoax

A hoax is something intended to deceive or defraud. Misleading public stunts, scientific frauds, false bomb threats and business scams are examples of hoaxes.[7]

Propagandizing

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Main article: Propaganda

Propagandizing is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is commonly created by governments, but some forms of mass communication created by other influential organizations can be considered propaganda. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the desired result in audience attitudes. While the term propaganda has justifiably acquired a strongly negative connotation by association with its most manipulative and jingoistic examples (e.g. Nazi propaganda used to justify the Holocaust), propaganda in its original sense was neutral, and could refer to uses that were generally benign or innocuous, such as public health recommendations, signs encouraging citizens to participate in a census or election, or messages encouraging persons to report crimes to the police, among others.[8]

Propaganda uses societal norms and myths that people hear and believe. Because people respond to, understand and remember more simple ideas, this is what is used to influence people's beliefs, attitudes and values.[9]

In the article Data & Society — What's Propaganda Got To Do With It? the author Caroline Jack says, "People are turning to propaganda as a media epithet because it helps to express discomfort with media — and the "fake news" controversy is just one part of this discomfort." [10]

Psychological warfare

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Main article: Psychological warfare

Psychological warfare is a term used to denote actions taken by governments with the aim evoking a planned psychological reaction in other people.[11]

This tactic has been used in multiple wars throughout history. During World War II, the western Allies, expected that the Soviet Union would drop leaflets on the US and England. During the conflict with Iraq, American and English forces dropped leaflets, with many of the leaflets telling the people how to surrender. In the Korean War both sides would use loud speakers from the front lines.[12] In 2009 people in Israel in the Gaza war received text messages on their cell phones threatening them with rocket attacks. The Palestinian people were getting phone calls and leaflets warning them that they were going to drop rockets on them. These phone calls and leaflets were not always accurate.[13]

In the article of U.S. military air strikes and air power: Research review and lessons from recent history - The Journalist's Resource it says that "The Obama administration has used drones in active theater of war, such as Afghanistan, but it has also dramatically increased the number of dromes launched by the CIA in other countries, such as Pakistan Yemen and Somalia," says John Wihbey.[14]

Public relations

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Main article: Public relations

Public relations (PR) is the management of the flow of information between an individual or an organization and the public.[15]

Techniques

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Means of influence include, but are not limited to, the methods outlined in Influence: Science and Practice, which include appealing to authority and making the person aware of the scarcity of an offer.[16]

Internet manipulation

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Main article: Internet manipulation

According to Pew Research Center South Korea and Thailand is the most country percentage with major concerns as both of them are at 92% U.S.A checks in at 87%. Furthermore, Made-up news seen as a widespread problem globally | Pew Research Center it says "Many people around the world have major concerns about made-up news and information. A median of more than eight in ten adults across countries surveyed say is a big problem in their country including 59% who see it as a very big problem," says Jacob Poushter, Maria Smerkovich, Maria Fagan and Andrew Prozorovsky.[17]

Deepfakes

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Main article: Deepfake

Deepfakes are photos, videos, or audio that are changed or completely created using artificial intelligence to look and sound real.[18] Because they can be very convincing, it's often hard to tell them apart from real content. The word "deepfake" comes from "deep learning," the type of AI used, and "fake," meaning the content is not real.[19]

Astroturfing

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Main article: Astroturfing

Astroturfing is when there is an intent and attempt to create the illusion of support for a particular cause, person, or stance. While this is mainly connected to and seen on the internet, it has also happened in newspapers during times of political elections.[20] Corporations and political parties try to imitate grassroots movements in order to sway the public into believing something that is not true.[21]

In the article The Future of Free Speech, Trolls, Anonymity and Fake News Online | Pew Research Center it says "The internet supports a global ecosystem of social interactions. Modern life revolves around the network, with its status updates, news feed, comment chains, political advocacy, omnipresent reviews, rankings and ratings," says Lee Raine, Janna Anderson and Johnathan Albright.[22]

 
Examples of typical clickbait with headlines containing exaggerated or sensationalized information

Clickbait

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Main article: Clickbait

Clickbait refers to headlines of online news articles that are sensationalized or sometimes wholly fake. It uses people's natural curiosity to get people to click. In some cases, clickbait is used to generate income; more clicks mean more money is made with advertisers.[23] But these headlines and articles can also be used to influence a group of people on social media. In some cases, they are constructed to appeal to the interest group's pre-existing biases and thus to be shared within filter bubbles.[24]

In this generation everyone being online on social media now this days we have found out that many american get their news on social media however it is not accurate according to What Americans like and dislike about getting news on social media | Pew Research Center "some social media news consumers also express concerns about news there being in accurate, low quality and politically biased. The share who say inaccuracy is the aspect they dislike most has increased from 31% to 40% in the past five years," said Wang and Forman- Katz. That is a nine percent increase furthermore 20 % social media news consumer like convince and speed of getting news.[25]

Information laundering

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Main article: Information laundering

Information laundering is a method of using a less trusted or less popular platform to publish a story of dubious origin or veracity for the purposes of reporting on that report rather than the story itself. This technique serves to insulate the secondary, more established media from having to issue a retraction if the report is false. Generally, secondary reports will report that the original report is reporting without verifying or making the report themselves.[26]

Search engine marketing

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Main article: Search engine marketing

In search engine marketing, websites use market research from past searches and other sources to increase their visibility in search engine results pages. This allows them to guide search results along the lines they desire, thereby influencing searchers.[27]

Businesses have many tactics to entice customers to their websites to generate revenue, such as banner ads, search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing tools. They all serve different purposes and use different tools that appeal to multiple types of users. Banner ads appear on sites in an attempt to attract visitors to a linked website. Search engine optimization is a technique in which a website is optimized to receive a higher ranking from the search engine, causing it to be returned more often in searches.[28][29]

In the article it talks about the concerns focuses on the growing power that is held by the technology companies. According to the reading Worries about life in 2025 | Pew Research Center "some argued that the spread of lies via social media and other digital platforms will damage social, political and economic system," says Anderson, Raine and Vogels.[30]

Distraction

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Distraction by major events

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Commonly known as "smoke screen", this technique consists of making the public focus its attention on a topic that is more convenient for the propagandist. This particular type of media manipulation has been referenced in popular culture. For example, the movie Wag the Dog (1997) illustrates how the public can be deceitfully distracted from an important topic by presenting another whose only quality is that of being more attractive.

Politicians might distract the public from domestic issues by diverting attention to global issues in order to reduce pressure domestically.[31]

Distracting the public

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This is a variation of the traditional arguments known in logic as ad hominem and ad populum, but applied to countries instead of individuals. This technique consists of refuting arguments by appealing to nationalism or by inspiring fear and hate toward a foreign country or all foreigners. It has the potential to be important since it gives the propagandists the power to discredit any information coming from other countries.[32]

On 2023 it was the 10th year anniversary of #BlackLivesMatter and in that article it talks about how new generation that we are currently living. How people are using the social movement linked to social media. Social Media, Online Activism and 10 Years of #BlackLivesMatter | Pew Research Center "The enduring power of the hashtag itself is clear more than 44 million #BlackLivesMatter tweets from nearly 10 million distinct users currently exist on Twitter today," this shows how important this is to the public as people they are distracted of what ever they are doing and just focusing on #BlackLivesMatter.[33]

Straw man fallacy

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Main article: Straw man

An informal fallacy. The "straw man" consists of appearing to refute the opponent's argument while attacking another topic. For it to work correctly, the topic that was refuted and the one that should have been refuted need to be similar.

Voice replication

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Main article: Audio deepfake

Voice replication is an artificially generated audio created by artificial intelligence (AI) to create a realistic replication of someone's voice. AI uses machine learning models and can replicate the specific characteristics of a target voice, such as pitch, tone, and cadence. It is commonly used to deceive and cause disruption.[34]

In the article Data & Society — Deepfakes and Cheap Fakes It says "A deepfake" is a video that has been altered through some form of machine learning to "hybridize or generate human bodies and faces"[35]

Photo manipulation

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Main article: Photo manipulation

Visual media can be transformed through photo manipulation, commonly called "photoshopping." This can make a product, person, or idea seem more appealing. Specific product features are highlighted to attract and persuade the public, and specific editing tools are used to enhance the photo. Some techniques include cropping, resizing, airbrushing, color-enhancing, and removing or adding subjects from the original image. The motivation for photo manipulation may be for pure artistic creativity or more nefarious reasons to deceive. Photo manipulation is used extensively in the advertising and fashion industry and has been the subject of controversy for its part in false advertising and promoting unrealistic images of beauty.[36]

Video manipulation

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Main article: video manipulation

Video manipulation is a variant of media manipulation that targets digital video using a combination of traditional video processing and video editing techniques and auxiliary methods from artificial intelligence like face recognition. In typical video manipulation, the facial structure, body movements, and voice of the subject are replicated in order to create a fabricated recording of the subject. The applications of these methods range from educational videos to videos aimed at (mass) manipulation and propaganda, a straightforward extension of the long-standing possibilities of photo manipulation. This form of computer-generated misinformation has contributed to fake news, and there have been instances when this technology was used during political campaigns in an attempt to influence the outcome.[37]

According to the article Expert essays on the expected impact of digital change by 2035 | Pew Research Center says that "In a second question they were asked about the most harmful or menacing change they foresee, thus most of these essays open first with perceived benefits and conclude with perceived harms. Because 79% of the experts in this survey said they are "more concerned than excited" or are "equally concerned and excited" about the evolution of humans' uses of digital tools and systems, many of these essays focus primarily on harms"  by Anderson and Rainie.[38]

Manipulation in Social Media

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Social media has changed how manipulation works. In the past, major news outlets would twist information, but today's age anyone can use social media to spread misleading content which makes it harder to protect accurate information.[39]

Because news spreads faster online, reporters feel pressure to publish quickly, sometimes before checking facts. Whoever posts something first online regarding any form of information can influence how people view an event, even if the information is wrong.[40] Cases like the 2016 "Pizzagate" conspiracy show how false claims online can lead to real-world harm. Social media algorithms also make the problem worse by pushing exciting or emotional posts, which helps misinformation spread quickly and repeatedly within like-minded groups[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Diaz Ruiz, Carlos (2023-10-30). "Disinformation on digital media platforms: A market-shaping approach". New Media & Society. doi:10.1177/14614448231207644. ISSN 1461-4448.
  2. ^ Marwick, A. E., & Lewis, R. (2017). Media manipulation and disinformation online. Data & Society Research Institute
  3. ^ Coxall, Malcolm (2 Mar 2013). Caswell, Guy (ed.). Human Manipulation - A Handbook. Cornelio Books. ISBN 978-8-4940-8532-1.
  4. ^ Ellul, Jacques (1973). Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes, Ch. 2.Trans. Konrad Kellen & Jean Lerner. Vintage Books, New York. ISBN 978-0-394-71874-3.
  5. ^ Young, Megan. "Marketing vs. Advertising". American Marketing Association. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  6. ^ "Non-commercial Advertising". Business Dictionary. 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  7. ^ Broersma, Marcel (2013). A refractured paradigm: Journalism, hoaxes and the challenge of trust. Routledge. pp. 28–44. ISBN 978-0-203-10268-8.
  8. ^ Woolley, Samuel. "Digital Propaganda: The Power of Influencers". Journal of Democracy. JOD. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "Media's Use of Propaganda to Persuade People's Attitude, Beliefs and Behaviors". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  10. ^ Lambert, Gregg (2016-05-01), ""What's Love Got to do With it?"", Return Statements, Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-1-4744-1390-9, retrieved 2025-12-01
  11. ^ Schmid, A. (2005). Terrorism as psychological warfare. Democracy and Security, 1(2), 137-146.
  12. ^ "psychological warfare". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  13. ^ Jerusalem, Hazem Balousha Toni O'Loughlin in (2009-01-03). "Text messages and phone calls add psychological aspect to warfare in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  14. ^ Tilford, Earl H. (2021-10-07), "Air Power Lessons", Military Lessons of the Falkland Islands War: Views from the United States, New York: Routledge, pp. 37–50, ISBN 978-0-429-04542-4, retrieved 2025-12-01
  15. ^ Botan, Carl H., and Maureen Taylor. "Public relations: State of the field." Journal of communication 54.4 (2004): 645-661.
  16. ^ Cialdini, Robert B. (2000). Influence: Science and Practice. New Jersey: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0-321-18895-0.
  17. ^ Laura Howes (2022-12-30). "Coffee made with pew pew pew and illuminating what toilets spew". Chemical & Engineering News: 40–40. doi:10.47287/cen-10101-newscripts. ISSN 1520-605X.
  18. ^ Mustak, Mekhail; Salminen, Joni; Mäntymäki, Matti; Rahman, Arafat; Dwivedi, Yogesh K. (2023-01-01). "Deepfakes: Deceptions, mitigations, and opportunities". Journal of Business Research. 154 113368. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113368. ISSN 0148-2963.
  19. ^ Mustak, Mekhail; Salminen, Joni; Mäntymäki, Matti; Rahman, Arafat; Dwivedi, Yogesh K. (2023-01-01). "Deepfakes: Deceptions, mitigations, and opportunities". Journal of Business Research. 154 113368. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113368. ISSN 0148-2963.
  20. ^ Bienkov, Adam (2012-02-08). "Astroturfing: what is it and why does it matter? | Adam Bienkov". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  21. ^ "10 Fake Grassroots Movements Started By Corporations To Sway Your Opinion". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  22. ^ "Facing Incivility". Change the World Using Social Media: 141–154. 2021. doi:10.5040/9798881820091.ch-010.
  23. ^ Frampton, Ben (2015-09-14). "Is clickbait changing journalism?". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  24. ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (2016-11-18). "Analysis | This is how Facebook's fake-news writers make money". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  25. ^ "At Face Value:", Winners and Losers, Princeton University Press, pp. 25–51, 2021-07-27, ISBN 978-0-691-20304-1, retrieved 2025-12-01
  26. ^ Meleshevich, Kirill; Schafer, Bret (2018-01-09). "Online information laundering: The role of social media" (PDF). Alliance for Securing Democracy.
  27. ^ Ratliff, James; Rubinfeld, Daniel (May 2014). "Is There a Market for Organic Search Engine Results and Can Their Manipulation Give Rise to Antitrust Liability?". Journal of Competition Law and Economics: 1–25.
  28. ^ Kritzinger, W.; Weideman, M. (2017). "Parallel search engine optimisation and pay-per-click campaigns: A comparison of cost per acquisition". SA Journal of Information Management. 19: 1. doi:10.4102/SAJIM.V19I1.820.
  29. ^ Almukhtar, Firas; Nawzad, Mahmoodd; Kareem, Shahab (2021). "Search engine optimization: a review" (PDF). Applied Computer Science. 17 (1): 70–80. doi:10.35784/acs-2021-07.
  30. ^ "Table 2: Frequency of worries about life stressors in the cohorts with and without chronic pain". doi.org. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  31. ^ Barberá, Pablo; et al. (January 2024). "Distract and divert: How world leaders use social media during contentious politics". The International Journal of Press/Politics. 29 (1): 47–73. doi:10.1177/19401612221102030.
  32. ^ Yap, A (2013). "Ad Hominem Fallacies, Bias, and Testimony". Argumentation. 27 (2): 97–109. doi:10.1007/s10503-011-9260-5.
  33. ^ Coleman, Laura. Social Justice through Social Media: The Use of Twitter as a Tool for Activism in the #MeToo #BlackLivesMatter Era (Thesis). Louisiana State University Libraries.
  34. ^ Almutairi, Z.; Elgibreen, H. (2022). "A Review of Modern Audio Deepfake Detection Methods: Challenges and Future Directions". Algorithms. 15 (5): 155. doi:10.3390/a15050155.
  35. ^ Sayid, Cosim (2025). "Cheap Talk, Deepfakes, Epistemic Injustice, False Light, and Free Speech ". doi.org. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  36. ^ Brown, A (2015). "Picture [Im]Perfect: Photoshop Redefining Beauty in Cosmetic Advertisements, Giving False Advertising a Run for the Money". Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law. 16 (2): 87–105.
  37. ^ Chawki, Mohamed (2024-02-24). "Navigating legal challenges of deepfakes in the American context: a call to action". Cogent Engineering. 11 (1): 6. doi:10.1080/23311916.2024.2320971.
  38. ^ "Pew Center on Global Climate Change", Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks California 91320 United States: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008, ISBN 978-1-4129-5878-3, retrieved 2025-12-01{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  39. ^ Fitzpatrick, Neill (January 2018). "Media Manipulation 2.0: The Impact of Social Media on News, Competition, and Accuracy" (PDF). Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications.
  40. ^ Fitzpatrick, Neill (January 2018). "Media Manipulation 2.0: The Impact of Social Media on News, Competition, and Accuracy" (PDF). Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications.
  41. ^ Fitzpatrick, Neill (January 2018). "Media Manipulation 2.0: The Impact of Social Media on News, Competition, and Accuracy" (PDF). Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications.

Further reading

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Overviews

Case studies

  • Beeston, R., Bin Laden Heads List of Suspects, Terror in America Times, 12 September 2001.
  • Bohannon, J., I Fooled Millions of People into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss, Here's How IO9, Gizmodo, Debunkery, 27 May 2015.
  • Braddock J., Historian says US backed "efficious terror" in 1965 Indonesian Massacre, World Socialist Website, 7 July 2009.
  • Cashmore, E.; McLaughlin, E., Out of Order: Policing Black People, Routledge, 1991.
  • Hodges, D., West Africans Are Streaming Across the U.S. Southern Border Carrying the Ebola Virus, The Common Sense Show, 3 August 2014.
  • Howard, Philip N.; Ganesh, Bharath; Liotsiou, Dimitra; Kelly, John; François, Camille, The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018. Computational Propaganda Research Project, 17 December 2018.
  • Kellner, D., 9/11, Spectacles of terror, and media manipulation, Miscellany, 15 August 2006.
  • Ostrow, J., Politics in Russia: A Reader, Sage Publications, 26 June 2012.
  • Sniffen, Michael J., Libby case witness details art of media manipulation, Boston Globe, 28 January 2007.
  • Turner-Sadler, J., African American History: An Introduction, Peter Lang Publishing, 2009.
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