Propaganda focuses n the use of physical and verbal methods of an 'invisible government' controlling societies opinions, tastes and ideas. With a very critical tone, Bernays describes the use of physical and social propaganda used by a controlling party to dictate the way society works. Bernays suggests 'In theory every citizen makes up his mind on public questions and matters of private conduct. In practice, if all men had to study for themselves the abstruse economic, political, and ethical data involved in every question, they would find it impossible to come to a conclusion about anything'. Implying that, for all his apparent negative views on the control of mass opinion, he appreciates the validity of it all. Suggesting that the majority of society need to be told how to think and what to buy in to.
Bernays talks about a 'village community' in which, around the time of the constitution,'produced the greater part of its own necessary commodities and generated it's group ideas and opinions by personal contact and discussion directly among its citizens.' (Bernays 1928-P13) as opposed to the contemporary technologies of the time of writing (mass transport, telegraph and telephone) where much more of a global community has been developed; making the distribution of propaganda even easier and more accessible to the masses, a situation in which Bernays argues that has made the powers of the government far superior, as they now have the ability to control a much, much larger proportion of global society. This is even more apparent now, through the development of the internet and other technological commodities.
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