Inoculating against Persuasion by Male Supremacy Messages: The Moderating Roles of Propaganda Form and Subtlety

While the general effectiveness of attitudinal inoculation in combating persuasive messaging has been accepted, little attention has been paid to the influence of form and subtlety on acceptance and emotional reactance to such inoculation messages. This study (N = 396) examines how two factors, medium and subtlety, moderate the effects of attitudinal inoculation against male supremacy propaganda. The study uses a 2 (inoculation vs. control) ✕ 2 (propaganda form: video vs. meme) ✕ 2 (propaganda subtlety: subtle vs. obvious) experimental design to evaluate participants’ perceptions of male supremacist propaganda. Results indicate that participants exposed to the inoculation message before receiving the extremist content showed decreased gratification in some cases and increased anger in others. However, in some instances, the inoculation provided no significant effects and in others the inoculation increased participants’ gratification and perception of the propaganda’s credibility. These results indicate the necessity for further testing to ensure positive outcomes before presenting inoculation messages to the public and demonstrate the depth of male supremacy propaganda in online spaces. Still, the nuances found in the two- and three-way interaction effects provide insight into the marginal differences in propaganda form and subtlety that can potentially provide more effective messaging against extremism.