Recovered from my old web files. This article was written late 2016.
Saleman Techniques
One of the oldest tricks in the manipulation handbook is making people commit to your cause in small steps. If you’re some kind of door-to-door salesman for some kind of product or charity, before asking if someone wants to buy or donate, ask them a more abstract ethical question that emotionally commits them to your sale.
“Aren’t you worried about the plight of inner city youth?”
“Uhhh… sure, I guess.”
“That’s good to hear. Would you like to donate to our charity that funds after-school activities for at-risk children?”
It’s a tried-and-true ploy because it works. When people feel like they’ve committed to some premise, even unenthusiastically, they feel wrong for the perceived inconsistency of not following that committal up. This is well-replicated in social psychology studies and every day in real life.
Now think of how this psychological glitch in humans plays out in the modern world of instant-gratification live media. One of the things about Twitter or Facebook is that people have an “opportunity” to publicly commit to a cause in front of their peers as something is happening, or more usually, even before we know what’s happening. When the facts prove people wrong or misguided, if they’ve publicly committed to some premise, they feel wrong to reneg, and usually double down.
Hot-button Example
Let’s take a “controversial” example. One that’s really only so controversial because so many people committed to it instantaneously. In 2014, a 18-year-old black man was shot by a police officer. When it first happened, that’s all the news said. That was enough to get people not just riotous and committed on Twitter, but riots, mass vandalism and assaults broke out immediately in the city, continuing for days.
Only several days later did the media begin to concede that the whole issue was more complicated. Not only had the deceased been stopped for a robbery evidenced by a video-tape, but the police department began releasing the physical evidence of the case to quell public unrest, all of it pointing a shooting easily justifiable in the confines of the law. On the field of facts, the protesters and rioters had been caught with their pants down.
But if course, it didn’t matter. People who had already committed with their recorded words or actions were unlikely to backtrack. They’ve already committed to a cause. Why go through the pain of admitting you were wrong? No one else is doing it.
It’d be cheap to accuse all these people of the sin of pride, because this is something we always do all the time. This is why media is so intellectually dangerous, especially with the ability to react to the constant stream of events otherwise beyond their knowledge. If people are given the ability to commit to a stance, particularly one that’s socially well-approved, they fall into dogmatism when they are minutely pressured.
This is easy to manipulate.
Playing with Puppets
A dishonest journalist (or in other words, a journalist) can convince people of what they want simply by releasing damning information in a tactical fashion. You probably see the media do this all the time.
First, you release something that will get people riled up for your cause. You might already know that it’s more complicated or even totally false, but sit on any damning information. People hear the juicy bits and they publicly commit to your cause. Then, later, as a footnote, concede that there is a more complicated picture. In fact, maybe you got it totally wrong. It doesn’t matter. The people already committed.
If someone calls you on it, you can say that you never opined, and simply released all the pertinent information. “Only the facts!” You don’t even have to commit to the cause publicly. You can remain aloof and “neutral.”
This was the old “CNN-style” of reporting/brainwashing, which is very distinct from the MSNBC/Fox/modern CNN brainwashing. Cloak yourself in objectivity and release information in a way that benefits your cause. Lead people in the way you want without any open direction. Very Daoist. Very effective.
This is one of the main reasons I don’t use social media. This kind of confirmation bias and commitment bias will get you every time and you’ll end up in a gaggle of similarly deluded people. If you have to use social media, well, you don’t, but if you really want to, be sure to hold your tongue. Once you commit to something openly, you’re psychologically stuck to something. In fact, it’s hard to even revise your own personal visceral reaction even when private.