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> advertising started using propaganda tactics to psychologically manipulate consumers

Advertising and propaganda have always been the exact same thing, and in at least some latin languages it is plainly called propaganda in all occasions. As in people will say that they work in propaganda and universities offer degrees in propaganda.




>Advertising and propaganda have always been the exact same thing

They're really not, though they are similar in many ways. They have different connotations: advertising is done generally by for-profit companies trying to sell stuff and make money, while propaganda is generally done by governments trying to shift or control public opinion. We have different words for these things for a good reason.


But is there really a good reason? The only difference is that one tries to make you buy something and the other tries to make you do something. It works in the same way, an entity trying to propagate their agenda.


Yes, there's a good reason, because those two things are different, as you yourself point out. Different words for different things.


After WWII in US propaganda was renamed to "public relations".




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