The Visual Rhetoric of Propaganda: Visual Data Analysis and Application

Abstract

The word “propaganda” is rarely used these days, despite its presence being deeply entrenched in the lives of every human being on the planet. During the 1900 century, propaganda was openly wielded as a psychological weapon to manipulate public opinion and behaviour, but after that, because of complicated historical elements, it became a derogatory term, for example, Nazi Germany. Individuals and entities still propagandize today, but they call it “advertising” or “politics” or “social influencing” instead. While it may be impossible to live in a society free of propaganda, understanding propaganda techniques and theories can help alleviate its influence. This thesis focuses on the visual rhetoric of propaganda and looks deeply at the relationship between visual elements and propaganda techniques. One hundred propaganda graphic items are analyzed to create a list of common rules for visual graphics pertaining to propaganda. The thesis also designs two posters that represent the two sides of an argument based on these rules. In this way, the influence of propaganda is demonstrated in an individual’s way of thinking. The aim is to broaden the general public’s understanding of propaganda, thereby increasing media literacy.