Propaganda, Explained: How Politicians, Pundits, and Algorithms Shape What You Think (and How to Think for Yourself) (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798196656668)

Propaganda, Explained is a clear, practical guide to how modern persuasion really works.

In plain English, Levi D. Kavan shows how politicians, pundits, media outlets, social platforms, and algorithms shape what people fear, believe, share, and defend. You will learn how outrage gets monetized, how recommendation systems reward emotional content, why intelligent people still fall for bad arguments, and how propaganda techniques have evolved from old-school messaging to viral digital manipulation.

This is not a book about telling you what to think. It is a book about helping you think more clearly in an age of noise, outrage, and constant influence.

Inside, you will explore:

• how cable news, social media, and platform incentives distort public understanding
• why your brain is vulnerable to emotional hijacking, cognitive bias, and manipulation
• the logical fallacies and rhetorical tricks that shape political persuasion
• visual propaganda, cheap fakes, bots, astroturf, and coordinated inauthentic behavior
• practical tools like prebunking, SIFT, and source vetting to strengthen your cognitive defenses

Balanced, readable, and deeply relevant, Propaganda, Explained is a field guide for readers who want to become harder to manipulate and better equipped to navigate modern political media.

If you want a smarter, calmer, more resilient way to understand the information war around you, this book will show you where to start.