Episode 2: Propaganda and mind control in science fiction

There's something distinctly science fictional about how Facebook has been used by governments, politicians, and private companies to manipulate people's perceptions--and even affect the outcomes of elections. In this episode, we talk about how science fiction stories from 1984 to They Live deal with the idea of digital propaganda. Often, stories about propaganda merge with stories about mind control. Indeed, the concept of psychological warfare was invented by a science fiction author, while he was working for the US military. What does scifi tell us about how propaganda works, and how we can stop it?

Annalee Newitz