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From the early years of the film industry until today, disinformation in films has been used as a tool to shape public opinion, influence political processes, and even
From the early years of the film industry until today, disinformation in films has been used as a tool to shape public opinion, influence political processes, and even wage information wars. Material 24 Channels It explains how cinema is used as a tool to influence society, and how today’s cinema reflects the situation and culture of society.
The history of disinformation in cinema dates back to the days of silent cinema. This became especially noticeable after the October 1917 coup in the USSR, when cinema was seen not only as an art form, but also as a powerful tool of ideological influence. The Bolsheviks immediately realized that cinema could serve as a weapon in the struggle for power and create an “ideal” society in the minds of the audience. Thus, in the USSR, cinema became a means of propaganda, showing the achievements of the socialist system and exposing the “enemies of the people”.
“Battleship Potemkin” – revolutionary propaganda / Still from the movie
Over time, cinema in the Union began to change slightly, more “reflecting” the Second World War, while images and tropes retained their priorities: collective farm workers, propaganda for the development of society and images of an ideal country.
Impact on society
The impact of disinformation through cinema was not limited to the USSR. History shows that cinema has become a tool of mass culture used to manipulate public opinion in different countries and in different historical periods. Not only ideological narratives but also conspiracy theories and hoaxes can spread through cinema, which enters mass culture and leaves a significant mark behind.
Misinformation in the world of cinema is an important problem that does not only concern the cinema of the past period. Movies that depict false events or create stereotypes can influence viewer perception and lead to the spread of misinformation.
As a result, people irrationally believe unverified facts or events simply because of the way they are portrayed on screen. This creates a kind of myth about the ideal, the frightening, or the extraordinary that may not have any basis in reality.
Today’s digital technologies only increase this effect, making information more accessible and effective.
People often do not realize that they have fallen prey to misinformation or propaganda. Cinema has often been used to force people to accept certain views or ideologies without critical thought or analysis.
Dystopia, as a subgenre of fiction, has always attracted special attention from viewers and readers; It offers a perspective on societies where the state has absolute control over individuals and freedom of expression and thought is merely an illusion. One of the most vivid examples of this approach is the movie “1984”, adapted from George Orwell’s novel of the same name, published in 1949. This work has not only become iconic, but remains relevant by highlighting themes of control, censorship, and manipulation of the masses.
“1984” / Screenshot from the movie
In the world of “1984” society is divided into three great states: Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia; Each of these is a totalitarian regime in which the ruling elite uses all possible means to maintain its power and control over the population. In the novel and the film, special attention is paid to Oceania, where the party’s activities are focused on creating a cult of the person of Big Brother, the embodiment of power and control.
Disinformation and propaganda are the main tools the party uses to achieve its goals. Large screens and television are used to broadcast ideological messages aimed at demonizing enemies and extolling Oceania’s achievements and values. This creates an illusion of external threat and internal unity that allows the party to maintain control over the population.
Later, we will discuss a few more films that touch on the subject of disinformation. Either they deliberately do not reflect the whole event, or they make fun of the current state of the world by exaggerating the events, as in “1984”.
The plot of this tragicomedy tells how young female astronomer Kate DiBiaskey (Jennifer Lawrence), a graduate student at the University of Michigan, records a comet along with a group of astronomers led by astronomy professor Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio). celebrates its discovery. But then Randall measures the comet’s orbit and discovers that it is heading towards Earth and an impact is inevitable.
Later, the main characters try to do everything to reach people and authorities, but people quickly lose interest in the matter, and politicians use the threat and scientists to their own advantage through disinformation, propaganda, and manipulation of public opinion.
Don’t Look Up / Screenshot from the movie
For example, China perceives foreigners as manipulators, while some other countries believe that the purpose of the visit is to exchange experiences.
In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming widespread, the possibilities of disinformation and manipulation are also increasing. Artificial intelligence can be used to create more realistic and convincing fake messages or manipulative messages that can be used for disinformation purposes.
Technologies such as natural language generation and deep learning can be used to create content that is difficult to distinguish from the real thing. This opens up new disinformation and propaganda opportunities that are now directly accessible to every user, so everyone can create their own content to achieve their own goals.
Artificial intelligence could help create and spread misinformation / Unsplash photo
It is important that society is ready for these challenges. Understanding new technologies, as well as education and awareness of misinformation and its possible consequences, is vital. Only critical thinking and constant information checking can protect our society from the dangers that misinformation and tools based on artificial intelligence technology can bring.
Cinema as an art contains many interesting and useful things by touching and revealing various subjects. However, it has been constantly used for propaganda and disinformation purposes since its emergence. Disinformation and hoaxes have a significant impact on society, actually distorting a new and comfortable reality, and cinema can help with this and show how this actually happens.
Master’s student in cultural studies at LNU.
Source: 24 Tv
John Wilkes is a seasoned journalist and author at Div Bracket. He specializes in covering trending news across a wide range of topics, from politics to entertainment and everything in between.
