Why You Think the Way You Think – and Why That’s No Accident
Have you ever pondered why some concepts remain in your memory while others disappear? Why do some news articles, social media trends, or political slogans receive a lot of attention while others don’t? In actuality, your mind is not as autonomous as you believe.
Political groups, media outlets, and advertisers are well aware of how the brain functions and use psychological influence to sway your opinions, actions, and beliefs. However, what if you were able to recognize these strategies?
Adam Weygandt reveals the covert workings of media influence in Media, Mind, and Manipulation, teaching readers how to identify, oppose, and take charge of their own thought processes in a time when false information is pervasive.
The Science of Persuasion: How Media Uses Psychology against You
We must look at how our brains process information in order to comprehend how influence operates. We take mental shortcuts that leave us open to manipulation because the human brain is made for efficiency rather than accuracy.
Here are three powerful psychological traps the media uses every day:
- Cognitive Dissonance: Why You Reject Facts That Don’t Fit Your Beliefs
When new information contradicts preexisting beliefs, cognitive dissonance arises, which can be uncomfortable. We often reject information that contradicts our preconceived notions rather than changing our way of thinking.
Example: Even when presented with unambiguous evidence, people who strongly identify with a political party are likely to ignore unfavorable news about their candidate.
How to use it: By creating echo chambers and promoting particular narratives, media outlets make it simple to ignore contradicting facts.
To escape, confront your own prejudices. What if I’m mistaken? What would make me reconsider? To improve your critical thinking, look for different points of view.
- Authority Bias: Why We Believe People in Power without Question
Whether they are politicians, newscasters, or social media influencers, we have an innate tendency to trust those in positions of power. Research indicates that even when information from authoritative figures deviates from empirical evidence, people are more likely to believe it.
For instance, when a politician or celebrity makes a claim or endorses a product, people are more likely to believe it without checking the facts.
How to use it: Brands and news organizations use well-known individuals to promote their messages because they know that audiences are more likely to believe them to be true.
How to escape: Consider who stands to gain from the message. Verify statements at all times, even if they originate from reliable sources.
- The Availability Heuristic: Why You Think the World Is More Dangerous Than It Is
A cognitive bias known as the availability heuristic causes us to estimate an event’s frequency by considering how easily we can remember similar occurrences. This causes us to overestimate the probability of infrequent but widely reported occurrences.
For instance, even though plane crashes are incredibly uncommon, people are more afraid of flying than driving because of the extensive media coverage they receive. This is true even though car accidents are much more frequent.
How to use it: To get attention, news organizations focus on emotionally charged stories (crimes, terrorism, disasters), leading viewers to believe that the world is more dangerous than statistics indicate.
How to escape: Disentangle feelings from reality. Instead of depending on how frequently you hear about something in the news, look at actual data.
The Hidden Power of Words: How Language Shapes Your Reality
Beyond psychological pitfalls, perception is also influenced by the way information is presented in the media. One of the most effective means of influencing reality is language.
Take these headlines, for instance:
- “Riots Break Out in the City” versus “Protesters Demand Justice”
- “Taxpayers to Bear the Cost of Relief Programs” versus “Government to Provide Assistance”
The same story is told in each phrase, but it is framed differently to arouse different feelings. The same event can seem entirely different to media outlets by simply altering a few words.
How to escape: In news articles, pay attention to the word choice. Is this intended to elicit a response or is it neutral?
Social Media: The Ultimate Manipulation Machine
Newspapers, radio, and television used to be the main media outlets. Social media has elevated manipulation to a whole new level in the modern era.
Advanced AI algorithms are used by social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to determine what you see and don’t see. They give preference to emotionally charged content because it keeps you interested, not because it is true.
- On Twitter, fake news spreads six times more quickly than legitimate news.
- Personalized advertisements use your data to predict (and influence) your future voting and purchasing behavior; algorithms monitor your activity to present you with content that supports your preexisting opinions.
How to escape: Manage your feed. Be wary of content intended to incite anger, follow reliable fact-checking groups, and diversify your sources.
The Road to Independent Thinking: How to Regain Control
Learning to think critically is more important than rejecting all information in order to break free from media influence.
Adam Weygandt offers readers a useful road map for overcoming psychological manipulation and cultivating autonomous thought in Media, Mind, and Manipulation.
What you will learn from the book is as follows:
- How to spot cognitive biases and persuasion strategies in the media
- How to improve your critical thinking abilities
- How to spot emotional manipulation in news and ads
Techniques for dealing with digital propaganda and false information
Knowing how influence operates is the first step to escaping it.