Ideology, Censorship, and Propaganda: Unifying Shared Mental Models

Abstract

In this paper, I utilize and expand on Douglass North and colleagues’ conceptual framework for understanding ideology to investigate the nature of ideological intervention. I argue that ideological intervention is ultimately about unifying the shared mental models of the individuals being ruled. Ideological intervention, such as censorship and propaganda, contains both positive and passive means. The positive means select, modify, and issue the information and feedback, while the negative ones limit and filter the information that choosers can access during the learning process. Jointly, an “information wall” consisting of censorship and propaganda can help unify the shared mental models of ordinary individuals in a society. The fall of the wall does not necessarily guarantee, but does provide a possibility for a successful transition from a natural state to an open-entry order.