Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Propaganda Evolves From Wartime Messaging to Digital Influence
Propaganda is communication designed to influence what people think or do.
Governments and groups have used it for a very long time.
During the world wars, radio, films, and other mass media helped propaganda reach large audiences.
Nazi Germany used radio and other messages to encourage support for its war.
Egypt’s radio claimed victory during the 1967 war even though Egyptian forces had been defeated.
Propaganda can include misinformation, fake news, and computer-generated material.
Today, artificial intelligence and deepfakes can make propaganda look or sound realistic.
Some scholars also say truthful messages can be democratic propaganda when they encourage people to take part in democratic action.
Propaganda is defined as deliberate communication intended to shape perceptions, thinking, and behavior.
Its modern meaning developed from religious efforts to spread doctrine into techniques for changing opinions.
World War I and World War II marked major periods of organized propaganda campaigns using mass media.
Historical examples include Nazi radio broadcasts, Egypt’s false victory claims in 1967, and messaging supporting the 2003 Iraq invasion.
AI-generated videos, deepfakes, misinformation, and cyber propaganda are expanding the tools used to influence audiences.
- Who
- Governments, political groups, scholars, media organizations, and other propagandists are discussed; examples include Nazi Germany, Egypt, and contemporary states using AI-generated content.
- What
- The article explains propaganda, its history in warfare and mass media, and its evolving use through misinformation, deepfakes, and artificial intelligence.
- When
- The concept has historical roots, became especially significant during World War I and World War II, and continues to evolve in the digital era.
- Where
- Examples span global conflicts and political communication, including Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Egypt, Iraq, and the United States.
- Why
- Propaganda is used to shape perceptions, influence opinions, direct behavior, mobilize populations, and advance a propagandist’s agenda.
Propaganda as Manipulation
Propaganda as Democratic Persuasion
Purpose and effect
Propaganda as Manipulation
Propaganda is associated with manipulating perceptions, spreading misinformation, mobilizing populations, and advancing political or military agendas.
Propaganda as Democratic Persuasion
Propaganda can also be truthful and encourage democratic participation by stirring emotions and promoting political action.
Use of communication
Propaganda as Manipulation
Mass media such as radio, films, and digital platforms can be used to create false impressions, including inaccurate claims about military victories.
Propaganda as Democratic Persuasion
The same broad communication tools can help communicate moral arguments and motivate people to participate in democratic change.
Modern technology
Propaganda as Manipulation
AI-generated videos, deepfakes, fake news, and cyber propaganda may make deceptive influence more sophisticated.
Propaganda as Democratic Persuasion
The article presents technological change as expanding the study and range of persuasive communication, without saying every use is inherently deceptive.
- Definition
- A deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior toward a desired response.
- Early association
- The term’s history is linked by some scholars to Ignatius of Loyola and the concept of “propaganda fide.”
- World War I
- Warring sides used propaganda campaigns to mobilize people and influence public opinion.
- World War II
- Nazi Germany used radio and other propaganda, including campaigns after the 1943 defeat at Stalingrad.
- 1967 example
- Egypt’s Voice of the Arabs radio broadcast false claims of victory during the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War.
- Modern tools
- Misinformation, fake news, computational propaganda, cyber propaganda, AI-generated content, and deepfakes are discussed.
- Democratic propaganda
- Some scholars describe truthful communication that encourages democratic political action as democratic propaganda.