Proceedings of The 6th International Academic Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2021
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/6th.iachss.2021.11.30
Images and symbols in public communications
Jana Tombu
ABSTRACT:
This paper is focused on examining persuasive technologies that use images and symbols as an instrument of creating cognitive links, and forming desired ideological models within social consciousness in the context of public communications. The objective of this research is to prove a hypothesis that the exploitation of images and symbols resonating with a target audience plays a key role in the effectiveness of political manipulations, propaganda, and information warfare. Methodology of this research is based on qualitative approach, and consists of comparative analysis of three cases: historic precedents where similar manipulative techniques were applied in the course of political upheavals with a purpose of shifting, shaping, and controlling public mind, and system of values. Political manipulations of the French Revolution’s later stages, the Third Rich, and the ongoing information war in Russia related to local authorities’ abuse of power, and initiation of the war in Ukraine, were analyzed and compared. The study is intended to complement existing works on public communications, political manipulations with social consciousness, and the use of images & symbols in the process of persuasion.
keywords:public communications; social consciousness; manipulative mechanisms; political propaganda; images; symbols