MODULE 12E:

LESSON 1:

MOTION INFORMATION AND MEDIA

LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
1. Describe the different dimensions of manipulative information and media
2. Analyze how the different dimensions are formally and informally produced,
organized, and disseminated.
3. Evaluate a creative multimedia form (living museum, electronic portfolio, others);
4. Produce a creative text-based, visual-based, audio-based, motion-based, and
manipulative-based presentation using design principle and element;

At the end of this module the learners, should be able to:

1. describe the different dimensions of manipulative information and media;
2. comprehend how manipulative information and media is/are formally and informally produced,
organized, and disseminated;
3. evaluate the reliability and validity of manipulative information and media and its/ their sources
using selection criteria.
4. produce and evaluates a creative manipulative -based presentation using design principle and
elements.

MANIPULATIVE INFORMATION AND MEDIA

“If it’s true that nothing is more potent than an idea, then those who control the media can direct minds can
masse." -Fabienne Fredrickson

I. DEFINITION, CHARACTERISTICS, FORMAT AND TYPES, SOURCES, ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS,

AND VALUE

A. DEFINITION.
Manipulative information is information used by a person or group of people to
influence the public to think in such a way that favors the proponent's own interests. Information manipulation
uses techniques that aim to modify, reduce or fully falsify existing information. Manipulative media are
the channels used to transmit manipulative information to the public. These channels include newspapers,
radio, television and towards the 21st century and onwards, the Internet.

Process of Information Manipulation by the Media

The programming process by the media to manipulate information has three stages (Bilbie,
2005):
l. Deprogramming — Original information is obscured by diverting the attention of the target
audience or falsified by making its source look less credible.

2. Reprogramming - New information is introduced to the target audience which will align with
the goals of the subject (person or group) who manipulates.

3. Fixing the Information - Manipulated information is established by making it look like it

came from a reliable source and possibly backing it up with "solid" evidence to withstand any other
counter-manipulations.

In this process, the aim is to sway the target to make it depend on the influence of the source
transmitting the manipulated information.

B. CHARACTERISTICS
Information Manipulation Theory which was first introduced in 1992 by Steven McCornack, a
professor at Michigan State University. Information
Manipulation Theory suggests that deceptive messages function deceptively because they
covertly violate the principles that govern conversational exchanges (McCornack, 1992). To be able to
persuade the intended audience, the proponent of manipulative information intentionally deviates from
any of these four conversational maxims:

1. Quantity:
Information transmitted by the sender will be complete (as per expected by the listener) and
without any omission.
2. Quality:
Information transmitted by the sender will be true and accurate.
3. Relation:
Information transmitted by the sender will be relevant to the topic of the conversation.
4. Manner:
Information will be delivered in a way that enables the listeners to comprehend the entire
message and with aligned non-verbal elements of communication.

To apply the four conversational maxims in the manipulation of information, imagine this scenario:

A young lady is waiting over an hour for her boyfriend at a restaurant. They were supposed to have a date
at 7:00pm that night. When she was getting impatient and was already preparing to leave, her boyfriend suddenly
showed up and immediately tried to explain why he was late for their dinner date.
Media and Information Literacy – Motion Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 2
FACTS:
At 6:30 pm, the boss of the lady's boyfriend called for an impromptu meeting. The boyfriend got
engrossed with the meeting. Unfortunately, it was already 7:15 pm when he checked the time again but
the meeting was not yet adjourned. He was too shy ask his boss that he would like to go home ahead
because he was still new in the office and he wanted to maintain a good impression. It was already 7:45
pm when the meeting was adjourned and he was able to depart from the office. There was no traffic but
the travel time was twenty minutes from his office to the restaurant.

Let us now apply the four maxims to manipulate the aforementioned facts.

Quantity
He did not give all ofthe facts. He did not mention to his girlfriend that he did not ask permission from
his boss to leave early because he was too shy.

Quality
He told his girlfriend that the travel time was an hour because of traffic. The information he gave was
inaccurate because travel time was actually just twenty minutes.

Relation
While the boyfriend was explaining, he also inserted his negative comments on the ambiance and the
food being served in the restaurant. His negative comments are not actually relevant to why he arrived late for
their dinner date.

Manner
The boyfriend keeps on stammering and avoiding the lady's eyes as he explains to her. He also
backtracks from his statements as if he is unsure on what happened the previous hour. This makes his
girlfriend wonder what really happened and if he is actually telling the truth.

C. FORMAT AND TYPES

According to Grolier's New Webster Dictionary, deceit is the act of making someone believe on
something that is false. There are a lot of ways in which information can be manipulated so that it
actually turns into a deceitful message. Whether information is transmitted via the newspaper, television
or the Internet, it is significant to point out how both text and images can be shaped to persuade the
people or the audience to believe what the sender wants them to believe. Let us discuss how information
can be shaped in its two aspects --- its text and its image.

l. Shaping of Text
You may have seen catchy headlines from the newspaper while passing by a newsstand on a
sidewalk. Or perhaps while scrolling down the newsfeed on Facebook, someone shared a link to an
online article with a very sensational title. The text being used is the key to manipulating the target
audience for any written media may it be on printed paper or in the Internet. Text can be manipulated
through the following: text layout, font style, font colors, graphic design and choice of words.

Below are two sample articles that apply the shaping of text to manipulate information and deceive
potential readers:

Sample online article to be inserted here

Article I
Drunk truck driver dies

Article 2
Daniel Padilla is dead, drunk driving is cause of death
Name of driver is Daniel Padilla (same name as the Filipino matinee idol)

When looking at these articles, you cannot help but analyze why the author chose that type of
title for her article. Obviously, the author wants to entice the people to read more of her article by putting
up an eye-catching headline using a widely recognized name such as that of a celebrity's. You may have
surely experienced this strategy as you browse through the Internet, came across an article with a very
interesting title and clicked on its link to read more about it, only to find out then that the article content
is not entirely related to the title and you end up disappointed!

2. Shaping of Images
Online memes are getting rampant. You may have experienced getting a good laugh over a meme
you have seen on Facebook. A meme is an image or video, optionally with a witty text, that is passed
from one Internet user to another. With the netizen's power of sharing, memes can get viral in a matter
of minutes. What makes memes so popular is that they are on trend. A meme may have been created
because of a recent political or showbiz news. Nowadays, software tools for photo editing such as Adobe
Photoshop and Pixlr.com are easily accessible. Hence, the possibilities are endless on how images can
be shaped to fit the intentions of the proponent for manipulating information.

Media and Information Literacy – Motion Information and Media Mercy L. Lozano 3
Propagandizing

Propaganda consists of the "planned use of any form of public or mass-produced communication
designed to affect the minds and emotions of a given group for a specific purpose, whether military, economic,
or political"(Anthony, 1954). Governments usually initiate propaganda but prominent non-government
institutions are also capable of propagandizing to influence the public to believe in their philosophy as well.
When hearing the term propaganda, a negative connotation will initially come to mind as in the tern 'black
propaganda.' Black propaganda is an act of disseminating manipulated information and making the public
believe that the source comes from one side of a conflict when in fact the actual source is from the opposing
side. An example would be the Nazi black propaganda against the Jews spearheaded by Adolf Hitler at the
height of the Second World Ware However, there is also white propaganda. Its source is not distorted and the
intention is transparent and usually for the common good such as encouraging the youth to practice their right
to suffrage. This is the more common type of propaganda.

Political campaigning

Political campaigns are activities to promote a politician running for a particular office or a political
party in general. It also aims to influence the decision making process ofthe masses. Political campaigns are
usually linked to elections. Political campaigns are often funded by the politicians themselves or with the help
of their political party and sponsors. Propaganda may also serve for political agenda but campaigns are
inclined to promote people rather than a belief.

Advertising

Advertising is the act of influencing an audience to patronize a product, a service or even an idea.
Commercial advertising in particular is a strategy of business organizations to invite potential customers to
use their products or avail of their services. Advertisements are transmitted through different media such as
TV and radio airing, publication of magazines and newspapers, or electronically through text messaging,
websites, blogs, forums and other social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Activism

Activism is a movement started by an individual or a group of people. Its goal may either be to take
into action, to prevent or to guide social changes. Examples of activism may be a significant gesture such as
the refusal of surrendering a seat, boycott of products or services from a company or another country, letter
circulation, rallies, strikes and street marches. Some activists want to obtain the sympathy of others and in
turn get support for the cause they are fighting for.

Hoaxing

Hoaxing is a form of manipulation which aims to let the audience believe in a lie or a false object.
Unlike other forms of media manipulation, hoaxing is not necessarily aimed at promoting an idea. Rather, it is
more of a form treachery to trick a target audience. Some forms of hoaxing may even involve deliberately
taking money from unsuspecting victims.

D. ADVANTAGES, VALUE AND LIMITATIONS

Manipulative information proves to be useful in the area of business. Through advertising, companies
are given opportunities to promote as well as convince customers to patronize their products and services.
Customers also benefit from advertising especially online ads. According to a survey conducted by
eMarketer.com, 53% or more than half of the netizens that were interviewed stated that they are made aware
of products/service they did not about, 33% said that online ads helped them comparison shop and save money
while 10% of them found what they were looking for through online ads. (Thierer, 2010)

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 Manipulative information is also helpful to the government. We have all learned that there are two types
of propaganda, black and white. Using white propaganda, local government units inform the public different
issues such as health-related matters. Everyone can read propaganda in public places informing them about
the adverse effects of drug usage, smoking, drunk driving, sexually-transmitted diseases. Not only that, but
people are also made aware of rampant crimes like a new modus operandi in robbery and fraud. Propaganda
helps in faster dissemination of information that are relevant and useful for the sake of the public welfare.

Political campaigning on the other hand, is an opportunity for politicians running for public office to
express their different platforms to convince the voters that they are deserving to the position and worthy of
one's vote. Activism is also beneficial in the sense that an activist or activist movement is provided with an
avenue to publicly express their stand on a variety of social issues like feminism, global warming, open trade,
death penalty. They do not only get the chance to support or oppose these issues but also attract other people
to join their stand too

However, manipulative information and media also has its downside. Let us take hoax first, which has
the intention to spread false information to mislead or confuse the public. This will lead to creating chaos and
division among people who know the truth and facts and people who fell prey to the hoax. Furthermore, a black
type of propaganda intends to destroy the reputation of a prominent person or group for the benefit of the
proponent's interest. In Philippine politics, black propaganda usually arises when election campaign period is
about to start. Political candidates sometimes resort to mudslinging, which is promoting negative Information
(sometimes anonymously) about opponents, so that they will get the advantage in surveys while their opponents
will suffer from a bad public image and at the same time lose the trust of voters.

When used for the wrong and selfish intentions, manipulative information and media can cause
negative, damaging or even harmful effects. One clear-cut example in our Philippine history is during the regime
of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. When he declared Martial Law, the media was manipulated by the
government. Freedom of information was suppressed especially if it implied opposition to the government
because it was considered subversion. This means that "anybody who goes against the government or who tries
to convince people to go against the government -- that is subversion." according to Juan Ponce Enrile, who
was then the Minister of Defense during the Martial Law, during a BBC interview in 1977. In effect, journalists
and even the common people were forbidden from writing content that was against the government or the
Marcoses. Anyone who disobeyed were punished in different means, such as torture, sexual abuse,
disappearance and even death. An estimated 70,000 people became victims under the Martial Law which is
believed to be the most gruesome era of modern Philippine history (Singson, 2015).

Even with the eventual overthrow of the Marcos government leading to the end of the Martial Law Era,
we are not yet totally free from the negative effects of manipulative information and media. Now that majority
of us are Internet users, it is our responsibility that we do not fall prey to hoax content that are rampant online.
Furthermore, we should be conscious to prevent being the medium to these bogus articles that spread through
"clickbait." This strategy makes attractive titles for online articles in which the actual content is not entirely
related to the title at all. Before believing any online article and sharing it to other netizens, check first the
credibility of the article by analyzing the content. Is the source reliable? Did the article come from a trusted
source? And before sharing, you might want to ask yourself, "Is this really worth what would be the possible
consequences if I share this to my friends?" You may have the freedom to share ideas online, but will you also
be able to handle what will happen afterwards? Be a responsible netizen.

II. SELECTION CRITERIA

Manipulative media and information can influence us in so many different ways. In the e of business to
consumer (B2C) relationship, there exists a fine line between manipulative media and marketing. According to
Roger Dooley, the author of Brainfluence (2011) and an expert on Neuromarketing, customer-focused marketing
is not "manipulation" and "unethical" if you are being honest and are sincere in helping the customer.

In order for us not to fall for manipulative hoax contents, checking the credibility of the content (or even
the site itself) is one way. As David Turner once wrote in BBC's Verification Hub, it is a golden rule to contact
whoever has posted any material. Real witnesses to events are usually eager to answer your questions compared
to those who have other motives in posting such materials.

However, if setting up a conversation with the content maker is impossible, then that is where knowledge
comes in handy. Having knowledge about the topic and how manipulative media works helps us in detecting
deception and thus avoid it.

III. DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND ELEMENTS

Though commonly tagged as negative and unethical, manipulative media lies on the same spectrum of
effective advertising. False and incomplete claims, misleading headlines and incorrect storytelling. This section
discusses some elements and principles on how manipulative media build its message and target its intended
audience.

A. DESIGN ELEMENTS

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 l. Attention

The headline, title or material cover should act as a stimulus and cut through all the pertinent
details. It must spark curiosity among the audience and should set the tone of the material. Malicious
materials or advertisements usually do this by exaggerating designs or approaches. A bogus pop-up
advertisement targeting gadget oriented people.

2. Interest

Any material that intends to manipulate the audience should always be interesting. This means
it should always strike the soft side of the audience's mental and emotional state.

3. Credibility

Effective advertisements or media usually stand ground in scientifically proven clams or public
truth. Contrary to this, manipulative advertisements, news or media allows credibility to flow in interval
or pieces with the bigger unproven story (lacks substance). In mixing false claims and truths, audience
will be persuaded in thinking that the media is "good as true" or believable.

4. Desire

Manipulative materials do not only create false claims but also establish benefits and advantages
if the target audience believes in the material therefore forming a sense of action or response.

5. Action

Manipulative or not, all media has one primary goal, that is, to motivate people to do something
such as buy a product, argue to other counter-parties, or boycott a certain event.

B. DESIGN PRINCIPLES

l. Make strong headlines

Use simple layouts and make your headlines or cover statement on point and powerful.

2. Design in natural order

Organize your information from most important to least important.

3. Photos over illustration

People are more enthusiastic to see and absorb real world photos rather than cartoons
or sketches.

4. Appeal to Emotion over Reason

Suppressing one's capacity to think (because of what one feels) is a great strategy in
delivering manipulative media.

5.Target-specific audience and deliver repetitively

Analyze, select, target your audience including their socio-economic profile, standpoint
in varied issues and impulsiveness. Also, most manipulative media materials are effective due to
the fact that the materials are delivered repetitively (recall strategy).

6. Say what they want to hear, show what they want to see

As discussions and arguments grow within the community (online or non-online), people
tend to personally reflect their standpoint based from their beliefs and knowledge. To reinforce
the material, manipulative media reinforces the message by showing more or complementary
materials that are easy to penetrate.

It is very important that as digital natives, we can identify manipulative and true media
materials through rigorous research and study. These elements and design principles are always
true not only in manipulating the target audience's behavior but also persuading consumers and
sometimes the society in general.

References:
Abadiano, Mark N., 2018. Media and Information Literacy Second Edition. Cronica Bookhaus
Burdeos, Maria Luisa K. et. al, 2017. Think, Click and Share, A comprehensive Worktext in Media
and Information Literacy for Senior High School. SoLine Publishing Company Inc
Yuvienco, Joel C.,2017. Media and Information Literacy Being a B.E.S.T. Digital Citizen for Senior
High School. C & E Publishing, Inc.
Zarate, Maria Jovita E., 2016. Media and Information Literacy. Rex Bookstore, Inc.

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