Social media echoes 100-year-old informational chaos, expert says

Social media is plunging society back into an informational chaos akin to that of a century ago, warns Peter Pomerantsev, a specialist in disinformation and propaganda. He observes that while propaganda's tools and ideologies have evolved, its core psychological mechanisms remain the same, exploiting fundamental human needs like belonging, fear, and anger.

Pomerantsev, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute, notes that contemporary propaganda often thrives on confusion rather than a single, controlled message. "People get their information from everywhere, especially social media," he stated, contrasting this with the more centralized information environments of the past. He argues that the fight against disinformation must begin with a better understanding of one's own emotions, a concept he terms "emotional discipline."

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The psychological structures that propaganda exploits are the same.

Drawing parallels with his research on Nazi propaganda in his book "How to Win an Information War: The Propaganda Analyst Who Outwitted Hitler," Pomerantsev finds strong similarities in how propaganda manipulates desires for community, superiority, and submission to leadership. "The psychological structures that propaganda exploits are the same," he asserted. This makes conscious filtering of information crucial in an era where trust in traditional journalism is eroding, and the press is increasingly viewed as a public good essential for democracy.

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People get their information from everywhere, especially social media.