The Rise of Propaganda and How to Spot It

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The rise of propaganda is upon us. With so much blatantly false and misleading information circulating in every corner of the internet and digital communications (WhatsApp, for example, is notorious for being a hub of mis and disinformation), navigating fact from fiction has never been more challenging. Every election cycle, global crisis, and newsworthy event brings a flood of information. Some of it is factual, some is opinion-based, and some is outright propaganda. But how do you tell the difference?

Propaganda is defined as: information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or spread in some other way with the intention of influencing people’s opinions. Modern propaganda rarely looks like the war posters of the past, and so far, the U.S. has managed to hold on to a semblance of independent media, despite many corporate-owned media entities acting as de facto propaganda outlets. Today’s propaganda is more subtle, more sophisticated, and more expertly disguised as “news,” memes, viral videos, or social media posts made by seemingly regular people meant to push a particular narrative.

Propaganda can now look like viral memes, emotional TikToks, or tweets from anonymous accounts. The goal is the same: manipulate emotions, shape public opinion, and influence behavior. Here’s how to critically examine what you see and read to avoid falling for misleading messaging from any political or ideological side. Whether it’s propaganda, misinformation, or disinformation, following these tips will help inoculate you from information that’s meant to influence, mislead, or deceive you.

Start with the Source

Before believing or sharing anything, take a moment to verify where it’s coming from. Is it a legitimate site or a random blog with an unfamiliar domain name? Do they provide sources for their claims? If so, are the sources reliable? Propaganda often spreads through sketchy sources designed to look credible but aren’t. Watch out for websites with strange URLs (like .infonet or .offer9) and spelling errors in their links.

Even if the information seems to come from a well-known outlet, don’t just trust a shared link and go directly to the official website to confirm the story. If a claim is only being reported on one site and nowhere else, that’s a red flag. Reliable journalism is backed by multiple sources and fact-checked before publication.

Who’s Behind the Content?

Who wrote or created the content? Is it a respected journalist, a research expert, or an anonymous social media user with a username full of random numbers?

Bots and fake accounts play a huge role in spreading propaganda, often posting around the clock or from multiple locations. If you’re unsure about an author’s legitimacy, do a quick search on their name. Real journalists have a track record of published work, professional affiliations, and credentials that can be verified. If the content comes from an unknown person with a history of sharing highly polarized political messages, be skeptical.

Beware of Emotional Triggers and Manipulation Tactics

Propaganda thrives on strong emotions, especially anger, fear, outrage, or blind patriotism. If a post, article, or video instantly makes your blood boil or pulls at your heartstrings a little too hard, pause and analyze it critically.

Ask yourself:

Is this the full story, or just a small, emotionally charged piece of it?
Are the claims backed by facts, or just dramatic rhetoric?
Why is this being framed in such a provocative way?

The more emotionally reactive a piece of content makes you, the more likely it’s designed to manipulate rather than inform.

Seek Multiple Perspectives and Diverse Voices

Propaganda often presents a one-sided narrative. It either completely glorifies or completely demonizes a particular person, movement, ideology, etc. If you’re only hearing one extreme version of an issue, that’s a problem. It can be corrected by looking at multiple perspectives.

Instead of just reading about a topic from a single source, pick five different news sources from across the political spectrum and compare how they report on the same event. Even if you disagree with some outlets, exposing yourself to diverse viewpoints helps break out of information bubbles and gives you a more balanced perspective.

Examine and Question the Message’s Purpose

Every piece of content has an intent. Some are meant to inform, some to entertain, and some to persuade. Propaganda, however, has a specific agenda: to manipulate how you think or act.

To examine the purpose of any message, reporting, or piece of information, it helps to ask yourself:

What is this message trying to convince me of?
Does it encourage me to think critically or blindly follow a particular belief?
Does it make me feel pressured, afraid, or enraged?

If a message feels like it’s trying to push you toward a conclusion or telling you what you should think instead of letting you decide for yourself, it’s worth questioning its motives and looking at the topic from a different perspective.

Sensationalism Should Raise Red Flags

The more shocking or outrageous a claim is, the more likely it’s either false or exaggerated. Propaganda relies on sensationalism because it spreads fast—people are more likely to share something jaw-dropping without fact-checking it first.

If a claim sounds too dramatic to be true (“So-and-so is secretly running a criminal empire” or “This policy will DESTROY the nation”), pause before you react. Look for fact-based reporting and verify the claim with multiple sources before believing or sharing it.

Learn to Recognize Repetitive Patterns

Ever notice how certain phrases, slogans, or talking points suddenly pop up everywhere at once? That’s not a coincidence. Research shows that repetition is a key tool in propaganda, so if people hear something enough times, they start to believe it, even without evidence.

If the same message keeps appearing across different platforms, ask:

Who benefits from people believing this?
Is this being repeated by credible sources, or just amplified through social media?
Is this messaging based on facts or just catchy phrases?

Patterns in propaganda are rarely accidental. If it seems coordinated, it probably is.

Understand How Platforms Shape What You See

Social media amplifies propaganda because its algorithms are designed to push engaging content, not necessarily accurate content. The more likes, shares, and comments a post gets, the more platforms boost it, whether it’s true or not.

Because of this, misleading or inflammatory posts can easily go viral. Recognize that you’re not seeing a neutral selection of information—you’re seeing what the algorithm thinks will keep you engaged. Diversify your news sources, follow reputable fact-checkers, and don’t assume that just because something is popular, it’s accurate.

The Bottom Line: Awareness is Power

Propaganda is no longer easy to spot. It’s viral. It’s emotional. It wears the clothes of credibility. But with the right strategies—critical thinking, source-checking, and emotional awareness—audiences can resist manipulation and reclaim their ability to make up their own minds about the issues they care about.

At a time when every scroll provides endless content, question not only what you’re being told, but also why. The difference between being informed and being influenced depends on your ability to tell them apart.