“Propaganda, dissemination of information-facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies-to influence public opinion. Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitude, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, banners, monuments, and postage stamps, and so forth). Deliberateness and a relatively heavy emphasis on manipulation distinguish propaganda from casual conversation or the free and easy exchange of ideas. The propagandist has a specified goal or set of goals. To achieve these he deliberately selects facts, arguments, and displays of symbols and presents them in a way he thinks will have the most effect. To maximise effect, he may omit pertinent facts or distort them, and he may try to divert the attention of the other actors (the people whom he is trying to sway) from everything but his own propaganda.” - Encycloepedia Britannica.
While photographing an American athlete at his high school, I encountered motivational slogans throughout the building. Unfamiliar with this visual language, I began exploring the boundary between encouragement and propaganda.
All photographs in Propaganda were taken in Georgia, USA, in 2005.
