This section of research is focused on Propaganda and its effects on the general population who consume it, knowingly or perhaps unknowingly.
The English Oxford Dictionary defines Propaganda as "Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view."
It is often seen as a deliberate attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate conditions and direct behaviours to achieve a response that furthers a set agenda. Often facts are chosen selectively (which can possibly be seen as lying by omission) or loaded messages are included to produce an emotional response rather than a rational response to the information provided. It is easy to see how this can produce results that can work heavily in favour of whoever is distributing the material.
Propaganda can be split into three clear cut types:
1) 'White' - Material that comes from an open and identified source.
2) 'Grey' - Material that is ambiguous or non-disclosed.
3) 'Black' - Material that identifies as coming from one source, but really is coming from another.
Today we generally associate propaganda as a word with political and negative connotations. However, historically it was a neutral descriptive term with it origins coming from the word propagate.
It is quite clear that graphic art and design is the most common form of propaganda as it is easy to produce a piece that follows your particular message.
When we look at photographs and photojournalism it can be said that they are the opposite of propaganda as it is the truth of what is actually happening. In contrary to this though many photos used to report the progress of war etc. have been found to be 'set up' to favour one view or another.
References
Backdrawing.com. (2017). Posters and Persuasion. [online] Available at: http://www.backdrawing.com/2016/04/posters-and-persuasion.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). We Can Do It!. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Can_Do_It! [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].
Oxford Dictionaries | English. (2017). propaganda | Definition of propaganda in English by Oxford Dictionaries. [online] Available at: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/propaganda [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].
Williams, H. (2017). Power to the pictures: The evolution of propaganda. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/power-to-the-pictures-the-evolution-of-propaganda-2075321.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].