Social Engineering
In many ways, your thoughts, likes, and dislikes, are not your own. They are carefully crafted by corporations and organizations, who seek to manipulate you for financial and other purposes. A former Netflix employee has confirmed to Defending Idaho that they have algorithms in place to determine what you are going to watch before you have even chosen it, so that they can have the first few minutes already downloaded and ready to play, and that they change cover art in ways that are intended to persuade you to watch, or dissuade you from watching, specific videos. They are not the only ones who use psychology to subconsciously direct your thoughts, words, and actions.
Edward Bernays
The most important name in this discussion is that of Edward Bernays, nephew of famed psychologist Sigmund Freud. You've probably never heard of him, but he has helped shape our lives in many ways. We will provide you with some quotes here which will, in their few words, help you understand both his legacy and its effect on the American mind. Most important to understand is his influence on – and work with – corporations and governments, in teaching them how to control the masses.
Some of the things Bernays is credited with include convincing women to smoke [3], changing the word propaganda to "public relations" [3], convincing Americans to eat bacon for breakfast [5] and accept fluoride into their water supply [6], and helped the U.S. government entrench itself in Hollywood for propaganda purposes [7, 8], among many other things.
The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.
- Propaganda. Edward Bernays, 1928. [1]
Note: We would just like to point out that America is a Republic, and not a Democracy, and for very good reason! [2]
This quote illustrates the main point: that there is an "invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country", who "mold our minds", and "manipulate our habits and opinions".
If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it.
- Source [4]
"When WWI started in 1918, [I wanted to join the war but couldn't]. A few weeks after that I noted that George Creel… had been appointed head of the United States Information agency called USIA and it was the first time the United States was to use ideas as weapons to win a war. I applied to the USIA to become a staff member and was accepted. I was the only person on the staff in New York that had ever had any activity in publicity, press agentry or the like. The others were mostly professors and I served in the foreign office that dealt with materials sent to other media and with overt acts to make the world safe for democracy and make this a war to end all wars. To my surprise and delight I was invited over to the Peace Conference in Paris which Woodrow Wilson was to come to and this is a picture of the various members of our group of the foreign policy office of the agency in New York. And we traveled as I recall it for 10 days on the Atlantic Ocean, landed in France and were each assigned a separate apartment in Paris and worked on Wilson's 14 Points as I said to win the war to win the morale of our allies to win over the neutrals and to deflate the morale of the enemy."
- Source [9]
Please note the presence of the phrase "to make the world safe for democracy", which has been used by many U.S. presidents over the past century. Bernays was present at this "Peace Conference", which had as its purpose the convincing of the American people to join the New World Order under the United Nations.
References:
[1] As quoted in The manipulation of the American mind: Edward Bernays and the birth of public relations . The Conversation, July 9, 2015. You can download or read the entire book from OpenLibrary.org . The quote above is, astonishingly, the opening paragraph.
[2] Democracy: The Road to Communism . Canada Free Press, July 26, 2018.
[3] Edward Bernays . Principles of Propaganda, accessed Oct. 12, 2021.
[4] Edward Bernays Quotes About Propaganda . AZ Quotes, accessed Oct. 12, 2021.
[5] HOW ‘BACON AND EGGS’ BECAME THE AMERICAN BREAKFAST . The American Table. July 19, 2012.
[6] Propaganda and the War on Science . Global Research, Apr. 27, 2017.
[7] edward bernays on hollywood . Daily Mind Control, May 3, 2011.
[8] Numerous Articles . Spy Culture, accessed Oct. 12, 2021. This website is devoted to espionage in general, but maintains an ongoing interest in reporting on the U.S. government's connection to, and funding and control of, Hollywood movies.
[9] PIONEER — EDWARD BERNAYS . The Museum of Public Relations, accessed Oct. 12, 2021.
Further Reading:
Propaganda
Edward L. Bernays, 1928.
Why it's important:
Bernays' seminal work on propaganda, which is still used today in marketing and related courses in colleges.
Crystallizing Public Opinion
Edward L. Bernays, 1923.
Why it's important:
Another early, but foundational, work by Bernays.
The Century Of The Self
This BBC documentary focuses on Bernays and two similar individuals.
Social Media Surveillance and Manipulation
Social media has long been used to manipulate the masses. This has become much more obvious over the years, of course. Here are some things about social media surveillance and manipulation you might not be aware of.
Facebook is known today for manipulating their users news feeds by means of coercion. Saying the "wrong" thing can land you in "Facebook jail," unable to post for days on end, and being politically "undesirable" can get your account deleted without explanation, as has happened to numerous individuals (including Ammon Bundy) and organizations.
What most people don't know is that Facebook has been a government data-mining tool since its inception. The manipulation has just been icing on the cake. The following video explains some of the details:
The Truth About Facebook
This government spy tool has been known to run psychological experiments on users [1], to be intentionally addictive [2], and to track your movements all across the internet [3]. That Facebook is a government tool should come as no surprise, since it was revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013 that they were participating in an NSA project called PRISM: [4]
After Facebook went public in 2012, the company was praised for its honesty about the risks facing potential investors… However, after whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked the National Security Agency’s controversial Internet surveillance program last month, it became clear there was one significant risk the company didn’t disclose: its participation in PRISM, the NSA operation that secretly gathers Americans’ emails, photos, messages and videos from major Silicon Valley technology companies.
- Daily Dot, emphasis added.
Knowing that Facebook is a government spy and manipulation tool, does it concern you that a whistleblower revealed in 2020 that they have a "Left-leaning/liberal" bias that they are promoting to the public, or that they "[amplify] conflict and divisiveness"? [5][6] It should!
References:
[1] Everything We Know About Facebook’s Secret Mood-Manipulation Experiment. The Atlantic, June 28, 2014. Keep in mind that this was not meant to become public, and that they only admitted to doing this for one week, even though they maintain a department for this specific purpose. Derp. You're not supposed to think about it.
[2] Addiction for Fun and Profit. Slate, Nov. 10, 2017.
[3] How Facebook Tracks You, Even When You're Not on Facebook. Consumer Reports, Apr. 11, 2018.
[4] Facebook’s silence on PRISM could result in legal action. Daily Dot, Jul 15, 2013. Pretty sure the government never took any "legal action" against themselves. Of course, you should also see this Wired article from 2012, the year before that one: Facebook Tackles (Really) Big Data With 'Project Prism' .
[5] Facebook Whistleblower reveals Facebook's political bias. The Jist, Jul. 30, 2021.
[6] Facebook hearings confirm fears about company’s business model. What now? . Fox Business, Oct. 6, 2021.
Required Viewing/Reading:
The Military Origins Of Facebook.
Unlimited Hangout, Apr. 12, 2021.
Why it's important:
"Ultimately, the illusion of Facebook and related companies as being independent of the US national-security state has prevented a recognition of the reality of social media platforms and their long-intended, yet covert uses, which we are beginning to see move into the open following the events of January 6. Now, with billions of people conditioned to use Facebook and social media as part of their daily lives, the question becomes: If that illusion were to be irrevocably shattered today, would it make a difference to Facebook’s users? Or has the populace become so conditioned to surrendering their private data in exchange for dopamine-fueled social-validation loops that it no longer matters who ends up holding that data?"
Which Social Media Platform Can We Trust?
Defending Idaho, Dec. 10, 2020.
Why it's important:
This is our report on the current state of social media apps, created as people were really beginning to leave Facebook in droves, and searching for an alternative. You will learn what we know about the various sites, as well as some background on how these megalithic corporations/government agencies are gathering and parsing data about you, posted by you, etc, and classifying you, and what they intend to do with that data.
Words in Your Head that Aren’t Yours – A Dissertation by David Icke.
Red Pill University, accessed Oct. 13, 2021.
Why it's important:
"David Icke plunges into the eerie topic of how technology is used to plant thoughts, opinions, emotions and impulses into the subconscious mind as a pathway to the conscious mind where we perceive them as being our own. The science of behavior engineering was introduced over a century ago, but it was greatly accelerated by recent research into the effect of chemicals and electromagnetic frequencies on the brain. If you are not familiar with this science, it is urgent that you become so immediately because, whether you know it or not, your subconscious mind is under attack, and you will be vulnerable without this knowledge."
The Creepy Line - Full Documentary on Social Media's manipulation of society.
Janson Media, posted Aug. 27, 2020.
Why it's important:
"The Creepy Line reveals the stunning degree to which society is manipulated by Google and Facebook and blows the lid off the remarkably subtle – hence powerful – manner in which they do it. Offering first-hand accounts, scientific experiments and detailed analysis, the film examines what is at risk when these tech titans have free reign to utilize the public’s most private and personal data."
How Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google manipulate our emotions.
TED, Dec. 12, 2017.
Why it's important:
"The Creepy Line reveals the stunning degree to which society is manipulated by Google and Facebook and blows the lid off the remarkably subtle – hence powerful – manner in which they do it. Offering first-hand accounts, scientific experiments and detailed analysis, the film examines what is at risk when these tech titans have free reign to utilize the public’s most private and personal data."
Like Facebook, Google is infamous for its enormous wealth, power, and control. Also like Facebook, Google uses its wealth, power, and control to manipulate us. For instance, in the name of eliminating "misinformation," they have purged many channels from their platform, and videos discussing specific information. [1] Other videos have been "shadow-banned," making them impossible to find without already having a direct link. [2] This causes the authors/uploaders to believe they are making information available when it is, in fact, not.
References:
[1] Next Purge For Google, YouTube: Climate Change Denial Content. Axios, Oct. 7, 2021. NOTE: "The company says it has consulted with experts, like representatives of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…" This is quite telling, since an unquestionable expert on the topic of "climate change," Judith Curry, has pointed out many times that the IPCC has been completely dishonest with data and the interpretation thereof. Because, of course, they are a U.N. agency, and the U.N. is the headquarters of New World Order. Another good example of the purge is this video, now removed from YouTube because James Corbett's channel has been terminated; it was previously shadow-banned. You can watch it on his website here.
[2] Does YouTube have something like shadowbanning?. Quora, accessed Oct. 16, 2021.
Required Viewing/Reading:
"Just Be Evil" - The History Google Doesn't Want You To Know.
Corbett Report, Aug. 12, 2017.
Why it's important:
"[Google] allows news outlets to portray the company as a valiant defender of users’ privacy against increasingly invasive governments. Conveniently left out of the equation is the company’s past, its own repeated violations and abuses of users’ privacy, and the unsettling statements that its executives have made about the very concept of privacy time and again over the years…
The company sprang from PageRank, the end result of a 1996 research project by Stanford University graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin… [which] had as its explicit goal, the quest to catalogue, organize, and make accessible the sum total of human knowledge, and was aided in this ambitious quest by successive rounds of venture capital funding. Within a decade, it had already made significant inroads on its quest for total information awareness, having branched out into 3D satellite mapping services, launched highly popular webmail and cloud storage services, created its own web browser, acquired YouTube, and branched into mobile technologies with the Android smartphone.
It is not precisely clear when the company caught the attention of America’s intelligence agencies, but high-level whistleblowers suggest it was early on in the company’s history. In a 2006 interview, ex-CIA agent Robert David Steele suggested that it was from the very outset."