Applying Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky’s Propaganda model to the Digital Media Landscape : An Analysis of Cambridge Analytica’s involvement in the United States 2016 Presidential Elections

Abstract

The 2021 doomsday clock has placed the world at 100 seconds to midnight in part because of the increased use of disruptive technologies, which influence the way that people think, act, and in some instances the way that people vote. Digital tools like algorithms, bots, artificial intelligence, microtargeting, and fake news have pushed society into a post-truth environment where people disagree on basic facts. This study assesses the use of these new media techniques using Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model and applying it to Cambridge Analytica’s operations during the 2016 United States Presidential election. In doing so, this dissertation aims to illustrate how the elite control the information audiences’ access, using more sophisticated targeting information. Ultimately, this dissertation aims to establish whether the propaganda model is still relevant in the age of new media. Furthermore, this dissertation asks whether Cambridge Analytica’s involvement in the Trump campaign had any impact on the integrity of the US democratic system