Propaganda is nothing new, its been around forever and countless millions have been persuaded by it.
However, today the tools that those who look to control via propaganda have access to have never been more powerful. Algorithms powered by cloud super computers, smart phones and social media that track your every post and news article you consume, and a news industry controlled by just 6 powerful companies. All of it leads to a propaganda machine that is more powerful than ever before and it’s leading to a new phenomenon known as “high responders”.
The term high-responders comes from the scientific and medical community and is often used to describe members of a population who are unusually responsive to a given medicine or substance. These so-called high-responders have elevated responses when given substances or doses that would otherwise have just normal effects on other populations.
With our current level of near 24/7 propaganda, a sizable group of the population have become propaganda “high-responders” and exhibit increased effects much greater than the normal population.
A normal response by a normal-responder to propaganda would simply be to either have their opinions slightly shaped by the propaganda, or at the most provide a counter-balance to the actual truth so that there is ambiguity among the person exposed to the propaganda. Often times in the past, this ambiguity is enough for the propaganda to be effective as it thwarts any real action since no consensus can form among the public as to what to do.
But high-responders on the other hand appear to be completely taken over by modern propaganda messages to the point of not only making those messages a core part of their belief system, but also to take it upon themselves to evangelize and spread the message. This happens even if evangelizing the propaganda message causes them great distress and takes time away from other activities. It’s as if these high-responders enter a brainwashed state, similar to someone who is in a cult. They become obsessed with the propaganda messaging and become extremely agitated when confronted with opposing viewpoints.
This unusual agitation is the hallmark of a high-responder. Most people who are not under the spell of modern propaganda can tolerate views or opinions different from their own. They may disagree, but in most cases it doesn’t cause severe agitation. However, high-responders who are in this cult-like state no longer have the ability to tolerate other opinions or facts. They immediately become extremely agitated and angry as if their most prized personal beliefs are under direct attack.
Since this is a new phenomena, it is not well understood yet, nor is it well understood what criteria sets someone up to be a high-responder. Intellect or education does not appear to be a factor as people from all walks of life can be high-responders. However, there does seem to be a pattern among those who are not high-responders. These people seem to be overall less concerned with the opinions of others related to how they view themselves. Non high-responders seem less interested in what others may say about them and they generally view their individualism as a significant aspect of their personality.
It seems this lack of concern for what others may think along with a strong sense of individuality gives people a certain immunity from this high-responder syndrome. These people may still be swayed or confused by propaganda, however they do not show the extreme behavior that high-responders show.
The flip-side of that argument would be that these high responders seem to exhibit an increased concern over how they are viewed by others, specifically how others view their intellect or intelligence. Being overly concerned with how intelligent one is seen seems to predispose someone to being a propaganda high-responder.
Also, a lacking or diminished sense of self also appears to be a factor. High-responders seem to be more comfortable with a herd-like mentality where there is safety and comfort in groups. These people tend to be overly fearful of isolation or ridicule from their peers or those they see as authority figures.
In conclusion, we are living in a time where the tools of propaganda have never been more powerful and there is no precedent for such an environment. It’s clearly leading to a whole new range of symptoms for those who fall under its spell. These new high-responders appear to be a somewhat sizable portion of the public. There is no doubt that those in power who control these tools are taking note of this exact same phenomenon and most likely are looking to exploit it even further as time goes on.
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