When you think of mind control techniques, do you envisage some shady government agent in an unknown location, using dodgy methods for evil manipulation?

It appears that this is quite a common first reaction. The truth, in fact, is a lot more subtle, and disturbing. The mass media have been long using various mind control techniques to evoke the worst of us.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and American intellectual, Walter Lippmann, described the masses as a ‘great beast’ and a ‘bewildered herd’ that needed to be guided by a governing class. That governing class is the elite. It comprises the wealthy, experts, politicians, and bureaucrats.

Mass media is a way of using knowledge by the elite to control the masses but without physical force. The elite, however, need our consent to accept their agenda, and there are several ways in which they do this:

  • They numb us to violence
  • They make us feel bad about ourselves
  • They dumb us down
  • They use fake news
  • They distract us

How can the media use mind control techniques?

The media have been using mind control techniques in a number of ways to influence us. Think this isn’t happening? From the age of two years, the average American is watching over 34 hours of television a week!

This is with an extra 3 hours of recorded media. And it doesn’t take into account newspapers or radio. That is a lot of influence whether we know it or not.

In the US, there are 6 giant media corporations that control 90% of everything we watch, read or listen to. These media giants are worth billions of dollars.

The same is true in the UK. There are 5 billionaires that run and control the UK’s media, with Rupert Murdoch’s company Sky having the largest share.

So why is this important? These giant corporations decide what commercial adverts we see in-between shows and also have a huge influence on what new programmes get commissioned or remain on the air. In other words, their influence is all-encompassing and widespread.

There is another way, however, that TV has the ability to influence us without our knowledge.

At the start of watching TV, we are in our normal ‘beta brainwave state’. However, after a few minutes, we go into what is known as an ‘alpha brainwave state’. This state is a relaxed state of mind that feels really peaceful. And guess what? The more we watch TV, the more this state continues, and increases.

The problem is that the alpha brainwave state makes us more susceptible to what we are watching. It lowers our sense of cynicism and leaves us feeling receptive to what we are viewing. It is like a hypnotic state where we are suggestible to whatever is being shown.

When we go from a beta state to an alpha state, we feel incredibly relaxed. This is a very powerful and pleasurable feeling. It can become quite addictive and is one of the reasons many people like to relax by becoming a ‘couch potato’.

So now we know how it is possible for the media to use mind control techniques, here are some of the ways they do it:

  1. Criminal TV shows

How do the elite numb us to violence? By showing extreme violence in criminal TV shows and justifying it by calling it a storyline. There are several studies that demonstrate early exposure to violence on TV leads to aggressive behaviour in later life.

In fact, there are some very famous criminal TV shows that have the dubious credit of playing a significant role in a terrible crime. These include Breaking Bad and Dexter, where killing scenes in these shows were acted out in real life.

  1. Advertising

Everywhere you look in magazines, billboards, or advertisements on TV, there are picture-perfect people selling something. Of course, we don’t expect advertisers to use ugly-looking models, but in recent decades, the stakes have been raised to impossible beauty standards.

With the use of Photoshop, starving models, increased use of cosmetic procedures, there is no way the ordinary citizen can keep up with what is being promoted as ‘normal beauty’. These impossible standards have led to a rise in eating disorders, self-harming, and general dissatisfaction with one’s body shape.

  1. Reality TV shows

Ask a child these days what they want to be when they grow up and the answer is likely to be ‘famous. When I was young, all I could think about was training to be a vet. My friends had similar dreams; fireman, nurse, doctor, farmer, lifeguard, they were all actual jobs.

Now, thanks to the rise of reality programmes, our children don’t feel as if they need to learn at school, train to be anything, they can just go on the TV and ‘earn a living’ by being famous.

In the UK, we have some of the worst role models for the next generation. One man who is now a millionaire cannot tell the time and is notorious for his lack of knowledge. Another young woman made her fortune by having repeated sexual intercourse on TV.

And who do you think these dumbed-down role models benefit?

  1. Politics

Want to gain an advantage over your political opponent? Spread some fake news. But we are not talking about a few people telling lies about a few government officials. The ways in which fake news has taken over mainstream media is truly shocking, with real-life consequences.

We can say with certainty that today, we are witnessing a global information war. And you know what? It often happens that the side that tells lies in order to manipulate public opinion has more chances to win it.

  1. Sports/Religion/Politics

Followers of religion or even politics might be offended at seeing sport lumped alongside them, but the same message is valid – distract us long enough to divide and conquer. What better way to carry on with their agenda than to offer some distraction?

All the while there are conflicts in the Middle East, with Muslims and Jews fighting over land, and Democrats and Republicans going at each other in the Senate, the elite can carry on.

In reality, we have a natural tendency to want to cooperate with each other. History, however, has shown that religion bubbles away in the background of most historical conflicts and brings out the worst in us. And just look at the football hooligans in the UK if you want evidence of bad behaviour in sports.

So, have I convinced you that the media use mind control techniques to bring out the worst, or do you believe you have complete autonomy over your actions? Comments welcome!

References:

  1. http://www.nielsen.com
  2. http://www.apa.org
  3. http://psycnet.apa.org

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This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Gary Hynous

    It used to be that the media advertisers used subliminal methods to get a message into your subconscious. Now the ad’s are more blatant in that they will show a family having a cookout or some young man on the beach throwing a Frisbee to his dog. Meanwhile the ad goes on to explain perhaps one benefit of taking this med, while enumerating the 15 negative side effects like blindness, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. Used to be the Marlborough man riding off into the sunset ,looking masculine, while puffing on a cancer stick. What’s worse is we now have Vaping being advertised to the younger generation. Vaping is as bad as smoking no matter how they flavor it or how cool they make some high school kid look using this deadly, noxious device. Fake news and fake ad’s. How about that Pres. Trump? Guess I’ll climb down off of my soapbox and let some politician use it to tell us more lies and bore us to death.

  2. CJ Capps

    This is so true that most ppl can’t even fathom it’s taking place right in front of their eyes. I mean in the paper it calls the show lineup “tv programming” right in front of our eyes. The only way to see the forest past the trees is to get rid of your television programming box and program your brain with things that are actually important. It’s a waste of your life to program your brain to give a shit about someone on a TV show that is based on a ficticious character. Then in the commercials your not shit unless you have these over priced items that does not matter one bit but divides us and makes us feel inadequate. It’s the same thing magicians use it’s called an illusion. It’s not real.. Nothing is sadly to say. Quit watching television for a year and tell me your iq and your awareness doesn’t go up. Try it

  3. C. Simpson

    The points about media mind control presented in this article are entirely accurate, and the mere fact that most people cannot see it for what it is, or even see it at all, is witness to its pernicious power. However, the adolescent level of expression contained in the two responses following the story does nothing to offer hope that a gradual awakening on the issue might be taking place. In fact, quite the opposite.

  4. Kat

    While I can appreciate your words as being consistent with my own truth, I have to question your own motivations. I was barely on your website for 30 secs and a little pop up insisted I buy your book, not just buy your book I might add but purchase it through one of the worst elitist companies on the planet….Amazon. Sorry, i think sometimes people use the truth, not just lies to manipulate the masses. There is nothingyou have said here that the intelligent individual (critical thinker) does not know already. I am not buying it….there is a new wave of people called influencers (I call them manipulators) and sad I think you are among the ranks. Thanks for the info, I would urge others to use their own critical thinking when reading your articles.

    1. Anna LeMind, B.A.

      1) I don’t support transnational corporations either, but Amazon gives a great opportunity to new authors to publish and sell their books. The very fact that I sell my book through this platform says nothing about my motivations, and I believe that it’s quite a narrow-minded approach to claim the opposite.
      2) No one forces you to buy my book – the popup is designed to let website visitors know about it. Whether they decide to buy it or not – it’s their choice.
      3) Critical thinking is a great skill – I recommend using it not only for reading our articles but for any information you consume.

  5. Matt

    Pan em et circensis…!

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