‘The Hidden Persuaders’, Vance Packard (1957) – ‘A Book in Five Minutes’ no.18
Channel: ramblinactivist
Date: 2022-10-04

Ramblinactivist’s Video 2022/30, 4th October 2022.

In the last of three related reviews we come to a book published sixty-five years ago, which shows us how the modern economy learned how to manipulate perceptions in order to normalised the modern economically-centred lifestyle.

From branding to political propaganda, Vance Packard’s book prefigured the use of psychological research and market segregation to more precisely sway public opinion for economic and political ends.

What distinguishes Packard’s work is that he was a journalist, not an academic or an insider. While his books are not deeply technical, they are far more accessible for the average person. And with decades of hindsight, many acknowledge the prescience of his observations on the economic pressures pervading modern society.

‘The Hidden Persuaders’ is a book that should be read to understand how opinion forming operates today. Economists might have created this system, but it was the media – harrying our alert and subconscious minds – which normalised that world view. The text may be dated, but it gives a valuable window onto how these techniques have become routine to bend public opinion today.

For the referenced text and an audio podcast of this post, goto:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/018/index.shtml

Note that this page also has a link to a FREE on-line copy of the book.

You can find more of these reviews in ‘A Book in Five Minutes’ here:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/blog/reviews/index.shtml

Finally, it would really help to promote this work if you could follow, subscribe, or like my social media presence – which can be accessed from the link above. In today’s digital analytics popularity contest, all that button-pressing means something in this messed-up world.

#politicalscience #publicrelations #propaganda #hiddenpersuaders #manufacturingconsent