COM 416: Propaganda

I’ve heard of the argument that we’re living in “an age of anxiety,” and more often than not, it’s in relation to millennials. We’re a generation that is coming into adulthood in a nation run by a ex-television-show-host-turned-political-demagogue (someone who appeals to “alternative facts” and prejudice rather than rational, logical thought), constantly surrounded by technology and social media, and flooded with debt, and facing pressure to succeed in a capitalist society that privileges some over others. Though I don’t necessarily think that my generation has had it significantly worse than any other generation, the prevalence of actual anxiety disorders among my friends certainly is alarming, and gives support to the idea that we are, in fact, in an age of anxiety. Growing up aware of the powers of photoshop and the more recent political battles against the press has lead to many people--not just millennials--to mistrust of the media, the government, big businesses, etc. With suspicion and doubt clouding many areas of our lives, conspiracy theories don’t seem too far-fetched.