Berkeley thought that when we say that a thing exists we mean that the thing is perceived to exist. If we do not perceive, it does not exist. Modern informational autocracies depend on manipulating people’s perceptions to allow them to accept falsehoods favourable to the regime while denying facts that are not. Facts and evidence no longer matter, all that matters is what people think is true.
What people think is true is based on the information they receive. Through a combination of censorship, co-option, threats and intimidation the media can be managed to deliver messages that maintain people’s faith in the regime. Social media with its emphasis on images and short messages can be easily subverted to deliver appeals to fears, emotions or tribal instincts in way that is not possible in mainstream media. Successful regimes are learning to master these tools to drown out or discredit critics while propagating messages supportive of the regime.
These are the foundations of informational autocracies. As Dr. Joseph Goebbels, master of Nazi propaganda once remarked: ‘He who runs the information, runs the show’.
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