By Imran Ghaznavi
Within the confines of strategic communication war rooms, where perception is often a more powerful currency than policy, a fundamental reality is acknowledged by all practitioners: propaganda is no longer a tool of the past. It is alive, sophisticated, and embedded in every platform where public opinion takes shape.
Today, the battle for truth and trust is waged not in newspaper columns or public squares but across screens, on social media, through digital influencers, and often, via invisible actors with precise agendas. At the heart of these operations lie five powerful psychological levers known as the ‘pullers of propaganda’: Emotion, Identity, Repetition, Simplicity, and Authority.
These pullers, drawn from historical precedents but perfected in the digital age, are strategically employed to engineer consent, incite division, and delegitimize institutions. As a strategic communication specialist observing the trends across South Asia and beyond, I have seen these pullers weaponized with chilling effectiveness, particularly in disinformation campaigns targeting state institutions and the establishment of Pakistan.
1. Emotion: The Raw Nerve
Emotion is the most direct pathway to influence. Modern propaganda does not begin with facts; it begins with feelings. Whether it’s fear, anger, hope, or hatred, emotional appeals override critical thinking. Campaigns that seek to undermine trust in institutions often do so by fueling outrage, highlighting alleged betrayals, injustices, or existential threats.
One need only look at the rise of virally circulated, emotionally charged content which is often misleading or fabricated, to understand how emotion becomes the ignition switch for widespread misinformation.
2. Identity: Us vs. Them
Propaganda flourishes when it exploits identity. By emphasizing ethnic, political, or ideological divisions, it cultivates a landscape where polarization is not just accepted but encouraged. Messages are tailored to specific groups, reinforcing internal cohesion while demonizing the perceived ‘other.’
In Pakistan, identity-based narratives are regularly manipulated to provoke unrest or disillusionment among citizens. These are not organic expressions of sentiment but manufactured campaigns that feed off identity fault lines.
3. Repetition: The Echo Effect
What is repeated becomes familiar, and what is familiar is often accepted as truth. That is the logic behind the third puller repetition. Digital platforms enable coordinated repetition at scale. A malicious claim, once posted, is echoed by bots, influencers, and fake accounts until it appears omnipresent.
Repeated disinformation targeting the judiciary, military, and civil bureaucracy of Pakistan has shown how falsehoods can begin to shape perception, especially when fact-checking mechanisms are weak or slow.
4. Simplicity: Flattening Complexity
The world is complicated, but propaganda is not. It thrives on simplicity, boiling down complex issues into digestible slogans or catchphrases. This is why nuanced discussions often fail to gain traction in the digital space.
During recent crises, false narratives were spread using short, memorable phrases that lacked any factual foundation but succeeded in dominating public discourse. Simplicity, though seductive, is often the enemy of truth.
5. Authority: The Trusted Voice
Finally, the pull of authority remains a potent force. When a message is delivered by someone perceived as credible, a celebrity, influencer, or even an impersonated figure via deepfake technology. It gains immediate legitimacy.
The most concerning evolution in this domain has been the use of deepfakes and AI-generated content, impersonating national figures and officials to mislead the public. Combined with malicious social media campaigns, this tactic seeks to erode trust in leadership and fuel societal confusion.
The Consequence
The strategic use of these five pullers has created an environment where truth competes with falsehood not on evidence, but on engagement. The more sensational, the more it spreads. The more it spreads, the more it is believed.
Pakistan, like many nations, has faced sustained digital attacks aimed at undermining its institutions. These campaigns, often orchestrated from abroad or by vested domestic actors, exploit vulnerabilities in digital literacy and platform governance. Deepfakes, fabricated videos, and malicious hashtags are deployed with the intent to erode public confidence.
But these tactics can be countered. The antidote begins with awareness. Strategic communication must pivot toward proactive engagement, using transparency, credible voices, and verified content to inoculate audiences against manipulation. Public media literacy campaigns, timely rebuttals, and coordinated messaging by state institutions are essential.
In the face of weaponized information, silence is not neutrality, it is surrender. We must arm our citizens with critical thinking, invest in credible media, and ensure that technology serves truth rather than distortion.
Only then can we brush off the malign influence of propaganda and stand firm in defense of institutional integrity and national cohesion.
Imran Ghaznavi is a reputation management & strategic communication specialist, public servant, author, and humanist. His recent work explores media manipulation, crisis communication and reputation management in the digital age. Mr Ghaznavi can be reached at [email protected]
