Episode 201: After Long Silence

July 19, 2022

Central Thesis

Ad-supported, personalized media constitutes a form of insidious propaganda eroding critical thinking and reinforcing consumerism.

Key Arguments

• Personalized content feeds achieve propagandistic totality The host acknowledges listener Pim's point that algorithms crafting individually tailored content feeds circumvent Ellul's idea that propaganda requires absolute saturation. Jim agrees that the constant, individualized stimuli delivered by social media constitute "continuous behavior modification on a titanic scale," effectively fulfilling the totality requirement for propaganda to be effective.

• Intentional typos in ads filter targets for scams Drawing on listener Dode's observation, Jim explores the notion that grammatical errors and typos in advertising aren't always accidental; they can be deliberate filters designed to identify and target consumers more susceptible to scams. If potential customers don’t notice the error, they are more likely to trust the brand, making them ideal marks.

• Advertising exploits vulnerabilities through multiple levels of appeal Advertising doesn't just dumb things down it also appeals to snobbery through hyper-accuracy, arcane language, and exclusive cultural signifiers. Jim uses the example of a French champagne ad that renders its name almost incomprehensible, arguing that the effect is to attract consumers who aspire to an elite identity. This idea reflects the thesis that advertising works through a multiplicity of levels that work on everybody somewhere.

• The system limits permissible ideas The commercial media system, sustained by advertising revenue, inherently restricts the range of permissible ideas to those that do not challenge the economic foundation of the system itself. Jim emphasizes that there are many questions you will never hear in commercially funded media, such as whether we encounter too many ads, or whether we should limit how much wealth people can accumulate in their lifetimes.

Notable Passages

• "Now everyone who is on social media is getting individualized, continuously adjusted stimuli, without a break, so long as they use their smartphones. Just the condition Pim noted, and that I, once again, missed."
• "...all of this advertising is part of a system we have roles but don't think for an incident that we can define our roles for ourselves that we can deviate from the script they are pushing this system this game if you will plays for keeps when it comes to ideas the system decides which ones we are allowed and which ones we are not allowed to encounter in this commercially funded media space"
• "...an automatically generated infinitely long personally tailored content feed in an increasingly online world comes pretty close to the totality required for successful propaganda"
• "Medical doctors...today go through a hellscape to get their certificates. But it's a concentrated hellscape. Every step of the way, they earn a shiny token that says...to all who can see them...with their lab coat and their fancy badge...ooh...I'll bet that's a smart person."

Rhetorical Approach

Jim employs a combination of personal anecdote (the failed language game) and listener-sourced observations as a launching point for his critiques of advertising and media systems. He often incorporates academic or intellectual references to bolster his arguments, frequently delivered in a conversational, sometimes sarcastic, tone. He uses hyperbole and satirical examples to illustrate the absurdity and insidious nature of advertising practices.

Connections

• Episode 187: Sharing A Little Mulled Whine Sharing a Little Mulled Wine (Pim's initial question)
• Episode 115 With This Pin, I Stitched Some Dumb (Mention of Jaron Lanier)
• Episode 196: The REALLY Big Necessity
• Jacques Ellul's Propaganda
• Jaron Lanier's Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
• Jerry Mander's Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television
• The Hucksters (Film)
• Douglas Rushkoff