Don’t know what “nudging” is? “Krone” columnist Robert Schneider felt the same way, but then a book by a young propaganda researcher opened his eyes. However, it didn’t make him any happier.
Now I’m smarter again. In fact, I have incorporated the term “nudging” into my daily vocabulary. That I could have been so stupid and ignorant for so many years! But the book by Dr. Jonas Tögel, American scholar and propaganda researcher, opened my eyes. The book with the totally off-putting title “Cognitive Warfare – the latest manipulation techniques as a NATO weapon”. Well, I had to go through that. Do I want to die stupid? In this book, the smart propaganda expert explains to me what “soft power” or “nudging” is all about. If someone puts a gun to my chest and wants my wallet, that is “hard power”. But when he shows me a photo of a starving girl from Sudan, that is “soft power”. I donate money immediately. Nudging is a technique used by the powerful people in the world to influence my behavior. This should make me more predictable and positively motivated with so-called “nudges”. Nudging is very relevant in both politics and online marketing. This type of influence was recognized early on, and not just in the USA and Great Britain. Since 2014, there have been designated employees in the German and Austrian governments who, for example, have been working on concepts such as how stubborn citizens can become good and punctual taxpayers or people who can finally eat more healthily. There is a lot more to come in Mr. Tögel’s dark book read. When you close it, you are left with the impression that you have actually learned nothing, nothing new at all, except for the fact that a young scientist has finally opened your eyes to your own hair-raising naivety. I now have Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” on my nightstand, which I have been wanting to read again for a long time.
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