When Facts Become Irrelevant

Repetition Increases the Believability of an Assertion
I object to the mind manipulation that is taking place today. The media (especially social media) is being used to influence and shape the opinions and beliefs of people in unprecedented ways. It appears that most people are unaware of what is happening. Thoughts on politics, sexuality, religion, race, gender and moral conduct are changing in ways that could not have been predicted twenty years ago. Biased opinions are pawned off as facts and these beliefs are circulated repeatedly until the thoughts become embedded in the minds of people. Public opinions are changing via a psychological principle called the Reiteration Effect: belief in the truth of an assertion increases with the repetition of the assertion, regardless of its truth. Do not let others tell you what to believe. Think: What is the evidence to support the assertion? I object to people treating me like Pavlov’s dog: an animal whose thoughts can be manipulated.