Welcome Back, this project has been dormant for some time, it’s time to spin it up. Given we’ve been through (and still) are going through one of the greatest propaganda campaigns of all time.
“Prebunking” is a term that has recently entered the lexicon of memetic warfare in the battle against “disinformation” & “misinformation”. And major players have begun using it. Google is the more notable of organizations.
Last fall, Google launched the largest test of the theory so far with a prebunking video campaign in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The videos dissected different techniques seen in false claims about Ukrainian refugees. Many of those claims relied on alarming and unfounded stories about refugees committing crimes or taking jobs away from residents.
The videos were seen 38 million times on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter — a number that equates to a majority of the population in the three nations. Researchers found that compared to people who hadn’t seen the videos, those who did watch were more likely to be able to identify misinformation techniques, and less likely to spread false claims to others.
The pilot project was the largest test of prebunking so far and adds to a growing consensus in support of the theory.
Google’s new campaign in Germany will include a focus on photos and videos, and the ease with which they can be presented of evidence of something false.
“pretty efficient way to address misinformation at scale, because you can reach a lot of people while at the same time address a wide range of misinformation.” said Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise, a media literacy initiative of the Poynter Institute.
Prebunking’s history has been outlined well by John over on his Substack Things Hidden in Complexity. You should go read that here and subscribe as-well:
We’re going to look at more of the tactics and techniques behind prebunking. A more operational and tactical look at this “new” technique.
Prebunking is known by another term that was popularized a few years ago also known as…
“Presuasion”.
It’s an average book by Robert Caldini, one of those that should’ve been an article.1
The gist if you didn’t read it, is to “set the table” for persuasion. In short using, the environment, colours language etc. you begin to set the path for negotiations prior to negotiations by setting up cues beforehand.
Think, pumping the smell of bread outside, or how corporations always call employees or customers friends & family (Olive Garden anyone).
This Presuasion works because it is built upon a foundational persuasion principle. Priming.
People are primed both by themselves, their social circles, media and environment.
This was illustrated in the terrible Will Smith movie Focus.
For Context: Will Smith is down a million dollars, gambling the money of all the employees of his company. In an act of crazy desperation he does a double or nothing bet. You can watch the scene here or just watch the explanation below.
Setup
Explanation
This is Presuasion in action. The only persuasion in these scenes is when Will Smith asks the Billionaire to double it, and when he asks Margo Robbie’s character to choose.
But what does this have to do with cognitive warfare?
In memetics ideas are harder to get rid of then implant. This is one of the outgrowths from looking at memetics beyond Darwin.
Under the Darwinian “Apex meme” framework these examples (Pepe, Wojack & Rick Roll) do not square, to bridge the gap the virus model appears to be the better alternative. Quickly spread memes burn out due to lack of hosts. Ever mutating ones continue to plague the planet, but do so at a slower rate. If we take the virus model, we then get to the question.
What about immunity?
“Oh, I’ve seen that before” or “Cringe” are clear examples of memetic immunity. One represents prior infection, the other represents a competing meme or mimetic group. If something has played out, the novelty is gone and the host will no longer be an active host for spreading the meme, but be a host for its existence.
To be immune to another groups memes and propaganda, requires both Recall and Recognition. You recognize the others memes and your body due to your memes programming elicits an immediate response. Disgust and revulsion are the two most often.
However, you are a host for the other tribes memes and you spread it in order to try and pass on your groups “immunity” all the while being an unsuspecting transmitter. This is Mimetic Conflict in a nutshell. Without memes, the Other cannot be understood or recognized.
With this understanding you cannot be “immune” to another tribes meme and be of sound mind. Anyone claiming so fails to recognize they have already been infected by the meme
So the idea of Prebunking is preloading the population with dormant triggers MK Ultra style to combat “Disinformation” and “Misinformation”.
Does it work, yes, how effective, who knows?2
Are they doing it, yes. How do I know? See for yourself:
These are heavy handed examples, but showcase the use of linguistical manipulation to achieve their goals.
They all use words that are either grand virtues that you project onto them ala Democracy or use colour coded language.
January 6th was coded with: Coup, Overthrow, Insurrection; while the “storming” of the Supreme Court in 2018 was a bunch of protesters, demonstrators, and concerned citizens.
And yes, this is an example of partisanship or Power; it also sets the table for future events. The riots when George Floyd died were called the same terms as the what happened at the Supreme Court.
This is because people are pre-exposed to terms which colour our thinking.
These is a famous saying that seems apt here:
What is the difference between a revolutionary and a guerrilla?
Whoever wins the war.
Priming, Presuasion & Cognitive Hybrid Warfare
When people are primed by everything from all angles the table is set for persuasion, long before it ever starts. The question becomes is it intentional or not?
All the videos of Chinese students doing things. Are, reflecting on them imo, a campaign of subtle demoralization.
To watch the Chinese infohazard click the picture.
If you watch the video you’ll see midway through they quote Twitter users:
“I’m 22 and would severely struggle with this”
“This is impressive. In America we are taught to be individualist from the get go. Always taught to compete against each other…”
“How is this fun? It sounds like a thousand soldiers marching”
That last comment labeled a “criticism” by piece above isn’t one, but a priming for thinking about China. A coordinated, capable, militant country.
Every Country does this from competent American Hero to the tireless and loyal Japanese. A phenomenon that has extended into Industry where German and Japanese products command a premium, and Chinese a discount; despite the World being run off Chinese parts and goods.
Everyone is running a Psy-Op, the Propaganda has only gotten better and more sophisticated.
Running Propaganda
How did Women, and People of Colour get the vote? How did gay marriage lead to the idea of trans children? Decades of slow and grinding propaganda.
The idea of running propaganda now must be viewed in terms of months, years or decades. People have grown accustom to the obvious one and done blatant tactics.
The Slippery Slope is real and is how the Overton Window (or bubble) works. A slow march is better than a blitzkrieg when it comes to hearts and minds. The Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney fiasco has proven this. The slow grind wins if you’re patient enough. Most, however, do not want this, they wish to see results now and so they fail.
Give people time to warm to any idea, and a long enough timeline and you can make people believe 2+2 = 5. Doublethink over time works because you Presuade people, you poison the environment they occupy. Like carbon monoxide it pervades every corner and suffocates it.
But how do you get people to buy into your propaganda faster?
Latch into an already rising narrative within the Overton Window.
Hitler3 and his propagandist Goebbels did gradual rhetoric escalation before the Night of the Long Knives. An immediate Purge and ransacking of German shops would be absurd, it would not pass any sniff test. But attach your message to a rising anger and a slow burn becomes a quicker ignition.
With the previously mentioned example of George Floyd, Riots wouldn’t have occurred if the narrative of Police Brutality and Racism weren’t undercurrents in America.
A World of Psy-Ops
In this World of Cognitive Warfare everything, (yes everything) is a Psy Op. The only way it isn’t is if it is 100% factual and using neutral language. Even then you can lie by omission.
This means we must be vigilante with defending ourselves against psychological Operations.
Everything is propaganda, everyone has an agenda.
This isn’t as insidious as it sounds, for everyone is living a narrative. Everyone has a story they tell themselves, that they tell others.
The real question is: What’s your propaganda?
I suspect he did it to get his name back into the limelight, as well as, receive an easy check. Can’t blame him, but did stain his rep a bit.
If you put a gun to my head I’d say it’d work and quite effectively based upon the idea of exposure and first imprinting.
Insert Godwin’s Law here