HOW POLITICS USES THE MEDIA TO SHAPE OUR THINKING
The French philosopher Gilles Deleuze’s concept of a control society helps us understand how modern politics operates, especially through fear and propaganda. In recent elections, candidates have used tactics that manipulate voters’ emotions. By stirring up fear and presenting themselves as the only solution, candidates have trapped voters in a psychological bind — one where dependence on leadership and anxiety reinforce each other.
Deleuze explains that power today operates less through traditional institutions like prisons, schools, or churches, and more through technologies such as social media. Through a constant stream of divisive messages and moral incitement, people easily lose confidence in their own judgment — a phenomenon that psychologist Martin Seligman calls “learned helplessness.” In a control society, individuals often feel anxious and powerless, and then turn to strong leaders for direction.
Political polarization reinforces this control even further. Groups construct their identity by positioning themselves against other groups, often based on racial, gender, or sexual stereotypes. By portraying others as enemies or caricatures, people boost their own moral self-image.
Psychologists, however, warn against this dangerous process. When people are reduced to fixed identities, it suppresses empathy, limits dialogue and promotes a one-sided worldview. Political polarization thus becomes a form of social and psychological control that seriously undermines our ability to thrive as an independent, cooperative society.
Summary
In a world where technology and media subtly apply power and control, Deleuze’s theory of control societies shows how fear, polarization, and propaganda manipulate voters. This article explores how emotional control in politics undermines our independence, empathy, and collective strength.
“In an era of constant incitement and fear, true freedom is not taken by force, but by media that convinces us what our choice should be.”