How can a community be ‘mobilised’ using media?
Storming the capitol
‘The biggest Media Manipulation in History’ can be labelled the 2020 capitol riot. In this essay I
will be researching and exploring the key parts that played a fundamental role into today’s
medias political manipulation. I will be arguing upon Mr Trumps influence and the role the
media played in portraying it. I will then conclude my research and arguments to reach a
researched and examined conclusion to my question, “How can a community be mobilised?”.
Focusing upon the community of liberals and if they were victims of modern media
manipulation or not.
Within my research I have read about different angles of media disinformation and the
impactful events that transpired from the result of media conglomerates and profit. Huff,
Mickey, Higdon, Nolan “United states of distraction”. Takes this focus upon the 2016 election
of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and the profit margin news outlets made with the
politicians gain through misinformation and manipulation. This author also encloses the change
residents can make to shelter themselves and the younger generation from the media and how
such factors are widely hidden and whispered about to gain an open valuable audience of
Americans.
In addition, exploring different articles and analytics from Oxford University and the
Washington post an analytical pattern of ‘political actors’ has risen targeting public opinions
and a growing threat to democracies over the world. A big substantial target was the 2016
election and the growing liberal party. This party is widely looked down upon from storming the
capitol, from Trumps false claims of losing the count and being ‘robbed’. The false claims and
accusations Trump used to manipulate the republican supporters fuelled their agenda to
communicate on Trump friendly apps to reconcile and plan storming a capital under Trumps
hand. But how were they manipulated? And was it obvious?
Research has shown from ‘Mid media Lab’ that,”51.2% of Americans have spread fake
information from the lack of attention and knowledge”. This factor can be used as a foundation
to my research to build upon further investigation as I research into big media conglomerates
and their public manipulation. In summer 2016 the whole news was covering the 2016 election
of Trump and Clinton. Multiple news sources used this opportunity to gain record viewers and
gain a multiple figure income. The Washington post fact checked Mr Trump and tallied 30,573
misleading claims and false information but still let mass media companies pedestal him. Les
Moonves in 2016 executive chairman and CEO of CBS stated during the election campaign
about Trump, “Sorry, it’s a terrible thing to say, but bring it on, Donald. Keep going. It may not
be good for America, but its damn good for CBS” (Huff, Mickey, Higdon, Nolan “United states of
distraction”). This statement clearly depicts the priority of news spread in America from the
previous CEO and the uncanny effect this can depict upon the public. From recent evidence of
Trumps misleading claims and information we can speculate that top media conglomerates
care more over profit that effects upon the public and do it so cheerfully. This can support the
first part of my argument about the American public being mobilized by the news. If the head of
these big news outlets only register about the profit and not the news, they’re spilling the
effect it can create on the public and communities. Especially in a time where the countries
people were vulnerable and at high stakes as well divided to put their presidential nominee on
top. And can cause communities to weather together and believe the news the media is
specially showing regarding gain either by profit or personal allegiance with the party. Either
way the media can show and force a perspective and narrative regardless as true or not to
support their political views or financial wants to make America believe whatever they deem
right. But what further lengths of topics will the American people believe? What limit will it take
for them to not believe everything on television.
From previous research we now need to investigate how the public of America become
mobilized? Yes, they can turn the TV on or look online, in this era with social media all around
us making us consume more and more to benefit the maker. But how long can this take? And is
it easy or hard?
Furthermore, to the year of storming the capital Trump took again to the news and apps such
as Twitter, Facebook claiming the count is being ‘stolen’ and set his followers upon the stolen
agenda and to act. This act is an example of mobilization and how people of the same interest
can grow through media from false claims and promises and meet people that hold the same
agenda and hatred and supports the same causes. Trump and the media orchestrated this by
gaslighting his followers with the count being ‘stolen’ and used social media to advertise his
personal need to win and gave his followers the means to act. The storming of the capital can
be argued was conducted by a mobilized community that started to take root in 2016 as
Trumps followers and members of the republican party. This was achieved through mass media
manipulation and targeting a specific community and feeding wanted information into their
ears, but how? the outlets let him. With the massive sum of consumers watching the
broadcasters kept giving Trump the platform that gave his party 2 billion worth of free media
coverage while broadcasters said “The moneys rolling in , and this in fun” It is clear they don’t
mind or care for the repercussions of giving light to an individual that is falsely misleading a
community and feeding sweet lies into their ears just to gain more for his personal agenda to
win an election, instead, they turned a blind eye and stuffed their pockets.
In addition, I have presented how media has played their part of manipulating a community
and how I will be examining the part of the community and their contribute to their own
mobilization.
Researching into Hobolt Hoerner Mobilizing “Political Choice” it is clear to see the indifference and what
makes a community so easily manipulated. Within the 2016 election the Democrats and the Liberals are
the two standing parties both with two different agendas and support. The Liberals want a free America
with stricter immigration regulation more work for the people and support for their views that has
created the reputation over the years as racist, sexist and homophobic while the democrats have the
opposite viewpoints and want an inclusive America. Furthermore, with this indifference we can begin to
speculate the motives the political parties have to target these supporters with false allegations of
having similar interests and motives to gain their favors, by doing this through media. Hobolt says,”
democracy is not to be found in the parties, but between them” and we can begin to suppress the
evidence that this is a key factor to the communities mobilization that is suppressing lies and meeting a
audiences agenda and trust by agreeing with their political views. By then slowing pushing the envelope
in believing other means and ends to benefit that individual/party such as Trump to “save America”
from immigrates carrying drugs and gangs into the country to then open racism towards Mexicans and
‘building the wall’ being a forefront of the beginning of this racial climb of socialism that Trump tried to
push onto his supporters. Like the simple start of the hatred of Jews in the 1930s from the Nazi party.
In addition, the mobilization happens through leeching onto the political agenda the public have. I
believe mobilization happens within the community circle and can only begin or be led by media. Such
as the community choose to login into Trump friendly apps and comminate the riot but yes, the media
did set the agenda in motion. After Trumps twitter claims of the count being stolen that ignited his
followers to believe the lies and the outgoing claims of cheating, this was enough to fuel this community
and the capitalist who started the charge. Holbolt claimed,’ The greater the perceived ideological
difference between parties, the greater the likelihood of participating in an election” from my previous
research this can be supported by the actions and quotes from heads of media companies and the main
aim to mobilize a community. Which is using each other parties as tools to create bigger drifts by
misinformation.
The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that a community can be mobilized through
media by meeting a community’s interests and agendas and spreading misinformation about other
parties or threats. To keep a community settled and secure about their beliefs as well making promises
and ideas about future socialism. I have displayed, analytics, academic readings, quotes from people in
power and examples to how a community becomes mobilized.
Hobolt, S., & Hoerner, J. (2020, May 1). The mobilising effect of political choice. LSE Research
Online. Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/100529/
Mickey Huff, & Nolan Higdon. (2018). Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (And What
We Can Do About It). City Lights Publishers.
Social media manipulation by political actors an industrial scale. University of Oxford. (n.d.).
Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-01-13-social-mediamanipulation-political-actors-industrial-scale-problem-oxford-report
Epstein, Z. (n.d.). Why do Americans share so much fake news? One big reason is they aren't
paying attention, new research suggests. MIT Media Lab. Retrieved January 11, 2023,
from https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/why-do-americans-share-so-much-fake-newsone-big-reason-is-they-aren-t-paying-attention-new-research-suggests/