This Is Not Propaganda
by Peter Pomerantsev · first published 2019
86% recommend14% critical
Why HN recommends it
Firsthand, reporting-style account of Russian propaganda and disinformation tactics, including consensus cracking and media control; for readers who want to understand how information manipulation works.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
We live in a world of influence operations run amok, where dark ads, psyops, hacks, bots, soft facts, ISIS, Putin, trolls, and Trump seek to shape our very reality. In this surreal atmosphere created to disorient us and undermine our sense of truth, we've lost not only our grip on peace and democracy--but our very notion of what those words even mean. The author takes us to the front lines of the disinformation age, where he meets Twitter revolutionaries and pop-up populists, "behavioral change" salesmen, Jihadi fanboys, Identitarians, truth cops, and many others. Forty years after his dissid
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ISPs may also be lobbying us through social media. Peter Pomerantsev makes a strong case that moderated forums are for sale in This Is Not Propaganda [1]. For example, he mentions "consensus cracking", > There are instructions on how to control an internet forum, including tips on “consensus cracking”: using a fake persona to express the ideas you…
on “Internet Archive joins opposition to the “SMART Copyright Act”” ↗Anyone interested in a broader history of fake news might like the book This is Not Propaganda, by Peter Pomerantsev. Decent review in The Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/10/this-is-not-pr... Pomerantsev bio etc on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pomerantsev
on “The godfather of fake news (2018)” ↗…your head spin, make you doubt everything. With such overload you have no other option but to just tune out, turn it off. There is no truth. Any voice is propaganda. Peter Pomerantes had a great book "This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality"[1] on their tactics, a recommended read. [1] https://www.amazon.com/This-Not-Propaganda-Adventures-Agains...
on “Food security and the coming storm” ↗Some more reading on this topic: - This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality -- Peter Pomerantsev - A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy -- Nancy L. Rosenblum - Trust, Facts, And Democracy In A Polarized…
on “Seeking Truth in a Time of Misinformation” ↗> ... they will simply grow sceptical of all kinds of news sources and retreat further into their own bubble. This is a central theme of the book This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality by Peter Pomerantsev, which I found thought-provoking. I've just been looking for a decent review. This is half-decent: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/10/this-is-not-pr...…
on “The YouTube ban is un-American, wrong, and will backfire” ↗…international front end to yandex, and not a portal for 'a handful of western autists'. But on Russia's granular propaganda and disinformation efforts, you ought to read Peter Pomerantsev's excellent "This is Not Propaganda" before making silly sweeping statements.
…least, this is highly suspicious. But of course, they do it skilfully, plausible deniability is the name of the game. I recommend reading "The Red Web", "Nothing is True and Everything is Possible", and "This is Not Propaganda" to learn more about this phenomenon.
on “Ask HN: Why is the US so vulnerable to disinformation from abroad?” ↗…that last panel is quite good. > I'm cynical enough to believe that these trashy distractions are encouraged I don't think that's cynical. The book by Pomerantsev that I mentioned in another comment, "This Is Not Propaganda", argues such distractions are part of the propaganda targeting democracies. I think revealing what gets removed gives people a better idea for how forums are managed and encourages healthier conversations…
on “Internet Archive joins opposition to the “SMART Copyright Act”” ↗…filtered. The biggest trolls in this scenario are the mods. Secret removals can contribute to mods manipulating the conversation through what Peter Pomerantsev calls "consensus cracking" in his book "This Is Not Propaganda". -Author of Reveddit [1] https://radiopaper.com/conversation/46ERO4T8dF9hmx156gmm/0oV...
on “Show HN: Radiopaper – Troll-resistant public conversations” ↗It is interesting how meta-propaganda like this article (comic book), or Peter Pomerantsev's This Is Not Propaganda, or your average YouTube video on "propaganda" tends to infantilize the reader.
on “An illustrated guide to post-Orwellian censorship (2021)” ↗