Description
As the Internet Age endures and expands, Peter K. Fallon peers into the Pandora’s Box of our age. A twenty-first century update to Jacques Ellul’s masterful sociological study Propaganda, Propaganda 2.1 explores how the ‘digital revolution’ has transformed the boundaries between individuals, institutions, and centres of power. Coupling historical analysis with a wealth of current examples, Fallon exposes the intricate and insidious ways propaganda alters our daily realities.
Propaganda 2.1 is divided into three sections: propaganda 1.0, 2.0, and 2.1. Propaganda 1.0 compares the popular conception of propaganda with persuasive techniques such as rhetoric and coercion; 2.0 reveals how the development of moveable-type printing built the foundations of modern propaganda; and, finally, 2.1 inhabits the ‘post-truth’ world in its totality. Whilst the media landscape continually shifts, Propaganda 2.1‘s analysis is an opportunity to tackle this new reality.
About the Author
Peter K. Fallon, vocal advocate for media literacy and education, has over two decades of experience in the television industry. He is also Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Roosevelt and is the author of award winning books in the field.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 Propaganda 1.0: Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Propaganda
Chapter 2 Propaganda 2.0: New Ways of Thinking about Propaganda
Chapter 3 Propaganda 2.0: Systems Theories, Cybernetics, and Information Theory
Chapter 4 Propaganda 2.0: Ellul’s Technological Society and Total Propaganda
Chapter 5 Propaganda 2.1: Propaganda in the Digital Age
Chapter 6 Propaganda 2.1: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Writing in the tradition of media-ecology scholars such as Jacques Ellul and Neil Postman, Peter Fallon takes on the subject of propaganda with intelligence, insight, and moral clarity. Coupling historical context with contemporary analysis, Propaganda 2.1 is essential reading for anyone concerned about the contemporary media environment and where we may be headed in the years to come. Lance Strate, Fordham University
Propaganda 2.1 is a timely contribution to digital-literacy education. After a thoughtful rereading of Ellul’s classic work, the book offers in a lucid exposition a wealth of original research and insights into the changing nature of propaganda in the twenty-first century. No student of media or reader who wants to better understand and defend themselves from the new generation of propaganda in the digital age can afford to ignore this extremely resourceful book. Casey Man Kong Lum, William Paterson University
Propaganda 2.1 is a brilliant contribution to our fragile planet and civilization […] The picture is bleak, but Fallon shows how the emergence of the World Wide Web and various internet technologies can open up new possibilities–not just QAnon and Alex Jones, but WikiLeaks, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter. Individuals and smaller movements can have a voice. Resistance, truth, justice, freedom, and community may not be likely–but they are possible with Propaganda 2.1. David W. Gill, International Jacques Ellul Society
