“The Big Lie” is a propaganda technique in which an outrageous falsehood is repeated constantly until the public accepts it as truth. The premise is that since no one would presume to invent such a massive lie, it must be true. Of course, people like Nazi propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, and other more recent politicians, succeed because people fall for that deceptive premise. In fact, these evil people DO invent massive, outrageous lies in order to manipulate people.
Familiarity
Psychological research shows why the Big Lie technique works. They call it the “Illusory Truth Effect.” The effect is that people tend to believe false information to be true after repeated exposure. This is because the brain has a cognitive bias called “fluency” that processes familiar information more easily. Because repeated statements are more familiar, they feel more true. Essentially, familiarity is mistaken for credibility.
A related factor is “source amnesia.” People often forget where they heard information, they tend to remember only that it feels familiar. Also, of course, if a piece of false information serves to reinforce a person’s fears, biases, opinions, and/or political identity, it will be quickly believed since it reaffirms ones existing self image.
Repetition
This aspect of human psychology has serious real-world implications. The advertising world has long understood the value of memorable slogans and repetitive product claims to build brand loyalty. Political campaigns also use repetitive slogans. The campaigns that have the most money to spread their “message” usually win – regardless of the truthfulness of their message.
The widepread adoption of social media has made this problem dramatically worse. These platforms are literally information repeating machines and have absolutely no incentive to filter out lies. In fact, because lies spread more rapidly than truth, the platforms actually have a financial incentive to spread lies.
Sadly, the illusory truth effect effect can also dull people’s moral sense. Repeated exposure to news about wrongdoing can, through familiarity, make an immoral or illegal act seem less unethical over time.
Strategies that can help
Clearly, if one wishes to live a life of truth and integrity, you must develop a set of strategies and develop practical skills to help you avoid deception. Here are some suggestions:
Prebunking (innoculation): Learn as much as you can about propaganda techniques and logical fallacies. This will help you be less susceptable to manipulation when you encounter them in the real world.
Accuracy Focus: Determining the accuracy of information at the first point of contact can help protect you against the effect of later repetitions.
Pause and Verify: Slow down and look for evidence that supports the claims you hear. Consider the reliability of the source. Don’t just believe everything you hear – especially online!
Sources:
— “Illusory Truth Effect,” Psychology Today (online).
— “Illusory Truth Effect,” Wikipedia.
Slow down and question, pause and verify are the key. Hurry and scroll is the media plague that has us all manipulated.