Think for Yourself: How to Resist Media Manipulation

The joke “You can’t trust anyone, not even yourself” has long ceased to be funny. These days, you can’t even trust yourself in every situation because we can easily make mistakes and be swayed by someone else’s opinion. Once upon a time, everyone received news and fresh information only through television and newspapers. They weren’t trusted much because everyone understood perfectly well that most media outlets printed what their owners or other influential structures ordered them to. So, any information had to be filtered and double-checked.

In the Soviet Union, people were used to treating any new information with distrust. This had more downsides than upsides, but it successfully counteracted manipulation. As soon as the internet became publicly available, all hell broke loose, and critical thinking became a rare commodity. Why? Because on the internet, it seems like there are a thousand different opinions, and you form your own based on them. In reality, it turns out differently: few can find the truly correct opinion among a thousand, so the most convincing one is usually chosen. And if internet media want to manipulate us on a particular issue, there’s nothing easier.

How many stories have there been where someone launched a loud “hoax” on the internet that spread through all communication channels and even made its way into newspapers and television? For example, rumors about the introduction of new money in Russia, supported by non-existent currency designs, or news about the closure of all McDonald’s restaurants. If news can be so easily fabricated from start to finish, then manipulation is even easier—just add a drop of lie (or omit something) to a truthful message to shape a certain opinion in the reader or viewer. Even bloggers who keep personal journals and diaries can use various techniques.

Manipulation Techniques

Let’s not talk about techniques like silencing information—nowadays, everyone on the internet has eyes and hands to cover any event or express any opinion, so this technique is practically unusable.

Attention Diversion

Instead of talking about some pressing issue, the author of a text or video gradually shifts the conversation to another topic. Typically, a major problem is presented in a deliberately dry manner, while the one used for distraction is maximally emotional to hook the audience more effectively.

Oversimplification

A complex problem is deliberately oversimplified to make it seem like its solution is just as simple. Very often, news is presented as if it’s being told to children rather than adults.

Emotional Storm

The time of impartial news and information has long passed because viewers and readers always choose emotions. It’s indeed more interesting. However, there’s a “catch”—the stronger the emotion fueled by the media, the more intensely a person reacts, and the less rationally they can think. Therefore, on the wave of emotions, they can be led to incorrect conclusions.

Primacy Effect

The human psyche is structured in such a way that it subconsciously takes the first piece of information received on a topic as the truth, even if it doubts it. Everything else is simply compared to this template to confirm or refute it. So, the faster information arrives, the higher the chances that it will be believed. The media knows this well.

Eyewitness Accounts

False information is quite difficult to verify, especially when so-called “eyewitnesses” appear who allegedly saw a particular event. We subconsciously tend to believe the stories of ordinary people more than official sources, even though asking a blogger or a private individual to write a story is as easy as pie.

False Analogies

Logic is a complex science, and it’s easy to get tangled in it. Many logical traps can be used for deception, but false analogy is the most common. It’s easiest to explain with an example. For instance, an athlete is running for a government office, and the media heavily emphasizes that he has achieved great success in sports, so he will achieve success in governance. Is this really true if you think about it? Of course not, even though it sounds nice.

Repetition

The more you repeat something, the more it seems true. Especially if this repetition comes not just from one media channel but from several. Later, it’s enough to repeat something as an undeniable fact, and the belief in the truthfulness of the information will become even stronger.

Half-Truth

If you dissolve a considerable amount of lies in a sufficient amount of truth, the overall message will be perceived as truthful. If these details are also hard to verify, then the deception will be completely successful.

Ways to Resist

The only way to resist manipulation is to develop critical thinking, learn to analyze and gather information. You could also take a more radical approach and move to a deserted island, but that’s far less interesting.

Seek Alternative Opinions

Even if what you’ve learned seems 100% convincing, spend a little time looking for other options. Most likely, they will also be convincing. Not just the “opposite” opinion, but several intermediate ones.

Develop Curiosity

The more curious you are, the easier it will be for you to notice details, seek new information, and compare versions. How to develop it is a separate question. For this, you need to cultivate your creative streak and foster a love for reading. The more you read—books, articles, blogs—the easier it will be for you to detect lies and recognize the truth. And ask more questions! As they say, a well-posed question often already includes the answer.

Study Psychology and Advertising

If these are not your professional topics, don’t delve too deep or study their entire history; limit yourself to popular sources. Both of these sciences will help you understand what specific techniques are used to mislead you.

Don’t Create Idols

A biblical commandment comes in handy here. Even if a person is very authoritative, convincing, or even your acquaintance who always gives the right advice, remember that they can still make mistakes or lie.

Don’t Succumb to Emotions

If you start to react emotionally to something, take a break and calm down. An emotional approach is useful for some things but not for analyzing information. Try to look at the situation detachedly, without labeling people or reasoning too passionately. You might see something you hadn’t noticed before. If you have prejudices, phobias, or intolerances, work on these topics in small steps, not allowing yourself to get heated.

Think Two Steps Ahead

And not just ahead, but also sideways. What led to this situation, who benefits from it, what will happen next? Sometimes it’s enough to look at other news, topics, and information that at first glance are not related to this one to see new facets and the true chain of events.

Train Your Brain and Memory

The more you remember and know, the more freely you navigate the sea of information. This is simple. The ability to analyze information is also very helpful, but it’s much harder to develop. You need to train specifically on logical tasks.