[Air-L] 8 May Online Lecture by Christian Baden "Propaganda as a Social Process"

[Ülker Sözen]

We cordially invite you to our upcoming lecture by Christian Baden on May 8
Thursday 15:00 - 16:30 CET. You can find the zoom link and details below.

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ECPR RN on Digital Authoritarianism Steering Committee

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As part of "The Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism" Lecture Series by
the ECPR Research Network on Digital Authoritarianism

"Propaganda as a Social Process: Erecting Monopolies of Truth in a
High-Choice Digital Information Environment" by Assoc. Prof.
Christian Baden (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Date and time: 8 May 2025, Thursday 15:00 - 16:30 CET
Moderator: Dr. Ülker Sözen (University of Passau & Leipzig University)

Zoom Link:
https://ecpr-eu.zoom.us/j/82908062122?pwd=i5ywnOmb9tICPAKoX0hyo9jhwMxp0Z.1

Meeting ID: 829 0806 2122

Passcode: 588164

Abstract:
With the weaponization of digital social media in the context of ongoing
conflicts and crises, propaganda has made a forceful return onto the
social-scientific research agenda. Yet, much recent work focuses narrowly
on the algorithm-assisted dissemination of disinformation. In this
conceptual intervention, we argue that the key to understanding
contemporary propaganda is not audiences’ exposure to invalid information,
but rather, how they determine which contested claims are credible and
significant. Shifting focus from propaganda’s epistemic qualities toward
its anti-democratic thrust, we define propaganda as a social process geared
toward the construction of monopolistic truths and the delegitimization of
pluralistic dissent. Drawing upon propaganda practices during Russia’s
invasion into Ukraine, and the war between Israel and Hamas, we illustrate
how propaganda constructs strategic identity-based narratives to predispose
audiences toward selectively accepting propaganda-aligned information while
discounting contravening claims. Mobilizing long-standing cultural
narratives, propaganda fans perceived identity threat to incentivize
supporters to voluntarily participate in the amplification of supportive
claims and the active de-legitimization of dissent. Building considerable
social pressure capable of dominating public discourse, propaganda
cultivates resilient world views capable of withstanding the ubiquitous
contradictions characteristic of high-choice digital information
environments.

Bio:
Christian Baden is associate professor at the Department of Communication
and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His work focuses on
the collaborative construction and dynamic negotiation of meanings in
political public discourse. Specifically, he studies processes of consensus
formation and cultural resonance, contestation and the discursive
processing of dissent and polarization. Christian Baden is chair of the
European-wide COST network OPINION, and associate editor at the Journal of
Communication.