Using outright lies to inflame the target and spread propaganda
- This photo and caption was widely distributed on Facebook.
- The assertion at the bottom is an outrageous lie.
- The individual, Major Terri Gurrola, is a Senior Physician Assistant (PA-C), graduate trained in emergency medicine. She provides health care services to service members, and to community members and local children in Iraq and elsewhere.
This is one of the most disturbing and vicious propaganda posters distributed on Facebook. This poster illustrates the horrendous danger of social media, the sick individuals who inhabit social media (and newspaper comment forums) and the undue influence they hold over others through spreading their own messages of hate.
- More info on the photo and background story
- Major Gurrola’s LinkedIn page
- Source of image where 928 people say they “Like” this
This example illustrates how easy it is to
1. Create a propaganda poster out of anything, twisting the original out of context.
2. Quickly spread it on social media – because people share without thinking.
3. And stupidly engage in online libel.
I do not know the original source for this altered image but it has been shared widely online, and then commented by many other people who believe the poster is accurate. Thus, an outright lie was turned into a “true fact” by propaganda, even though it is absolutely false.
Social media is very, very frightening. Outright lies are shared and turned into “true facts” through friction-less social media sharing, leading to the creation of a false virtual world where people who vote are making future decisions based on falsehoods.
The more you examine social media propaganda the more you realize, “What if you everything you think you know is a big lie?” (See next post below this one)
How do we get control over this spread of falsehood and hate on line – by people who would never ever view themselves as discriminatory and yet routinely group individuals by their membership in a group (the exact behavior or racism, sexism, ageism, ethnic-ism, etc). This behavior cuts to the core of the thinking processes of those who engage in these behaviors.