Manipulation of the masses, another form of oppression

Published at: 10/10/2025 05:00 PM

When we ask ourselves questions like: Why doesn't the genocide in Palestine stop? Why aren't paedophiles convicted? , Why are migrants allowed to be persecuted? Why are extremists like Charlie Kirk victimized? , and bringing it to our context: Why is it said that there is a drug trafficking cartel in Venezuela? Why is it said that Chavism has murdered opponents? Or Why is Chavism blamed for the migration of Venezuelans? Well, they have all these questions, the same answer: Manipulation of information to misrepresent reason, to the point that it is condemned for a Venezuelan to say that he does not want war in his country.

And this isn't opinion, it's science. The phenomenon of mass manipulation is not a new concept in human history. Historically, to maintain social control, ensure their power, and direct people's behavior toward their interests, political and religious leaders have sought ways to influence public opinion.

Expert thinkers in psychiatry, psychoanalysis and neurology, such as Gustave Le Bon, Freud and Lacan, considered those responsible for keeping the masses calm, as generators of illusions and distortions of thought due to the predominance of emotionality and impulsivity in them. Later, based on the experiences of the doctor of medicine, Wilfred Bion working with groups of psychoanalysts, during and after the Second World War, this understanding changed: The emotions generated by groups can be a source of distorted thinking, but they can also stimulate it, generate new thoughts and change the perspective of reality.

Because as a species we are condemned to live in groups and in society, we must learn to get the best out of this reality without allowing our ideals and thoughts to be distorted; a difficult situation when postmodern culture and advertising techniques developed for more than a century are precisely designed to manipulate the desires and ideals of citizens for economic and political purposes.

The study of mass manipulation is rooted in social psychology, where principles have been identified that explain how individual behavior is affected by group dynamics. One of the first theorists to address this phenomenon was Gustave Le Bon, in his work The Psychology of the Masses (1895), and he argued that “individuals, being part of a crowd, tend to suppress their individuality and are more susceptible to suggestion and imitation, which makes them prone to behave more emotionally and irrationally. These ideas have been fundamental in understanding how authorities and the media can manipulate large groups, using techniques such as positive or negative reinforcement.”

The most important thinker, philosopher, linguist and sociologist of the modern era, Noam Chomsky, also explained in an interview that “mass manipulation is also based on psychological principles such as collective behavior, where individuals lose their critical capacity when they feel part of a larger group, and this behavior becomes especially visible when emotions such as fear or anger are used to influence decision-making”.

Chomsky added that “for example, after the September 11 attacks in 2001, fear of terrorism was used to implement laws such as the Patriot Act in the United States, which limited civil liberties in the name of national security. The fear technique has been especially effective in promoting mass surveillance and other authoritarian measures. In addition, mass manipulation also relies on the use of stereotypes and prejudices, reinforced through the repetition of images and discourses that perpetuate simplified visions of social groups.”

According to Chomsky, another pillar of mass manipulation is the strategy of distraction, which consists of “diverting public attention from relevant issues through the saturation of irrelevant information or the emphasis on entertainment. This tactic has been widely used in modern media, especially in times of crisis or conflict. For example, during wars in the Middle East, American media focused much of their coverage on minor scandals or celebrities, diverting attention away from the critical political decisions that were being made at the time.”

Reinforcing simplified messages and polarization are also common strategies. According to the opinion of the French political analyst, Sylvain Timsit, described in his essay called Strategies of Manipulation (2002), stated that “the media often present facts in a superficial way, without delving into real causes or consequences, thus reducing the critical capacity of the public. This is evident in how geopolitical conflicts or internal crises are reported, where the complexity of events is usually reduced to black and white narratives, with clearly defined good and bad”.

However, what distinguishes contemporary manipulation is the degree of perfection achieved, especially with the rise of modern communication media, technology and social networks. The capacity to shape opinions, generate consensus or create divisions on a large scale has reached unprecedented levels, particularly due to the massification of information and the concentration of the media in the hands of a few global corporations.

Nowadays, mass control , powered by algorithms and media manipulation, plays a fundamental role in how people consume information and, therefore, in the configuration of their perceptions. Political polarization and disinformation have been amplified through these channels, which have generated tangible consequences for social and political stability at the global level.

In addition, manipulation through social networks is also based on the exploitation of negative emotions. Neuroscience studies have shown that the human brain is predisposed to paying more attention to negative or threatening stimuli, a phenomenon known as “negativity bias”. Digital platforms exploit this bias by prioritizing content that generates indignation, fear, anger and emotions that increase the likelihood of users sharing the content, thus amplifying its dissemination.

However, the growing awareness of these methods and the availability of alternative information via the Internet offer a unique opportunity to resist their influence. The key is to maintain a critical attitude and to always seek the truth beyond the dominant narratives.

Combating these phenomena requires a combination of education, critical thinking and access to diverse sources of information. Only through a concerted effort to promote a more critical and conscious citizenship will it be possible to resist manipulative tactics that seek to erode trust in institutions and divide society.

AMELYREN BASABE/Mazo News Team