The Third-Person Effect.

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Propaganda works on everyone, except you. Everyone thinks this.

[00:00:04]W. Phillips Davison identified the third-person [music] effect in 1983.

[00:00:11]People consistently believe media, advertising, and misinformation have significantly greater influence on other people than on themselves. The problem is universal and symmetrical. Everyone [music] is simultaneously convinced they are the exception, which means no one is. Targeted [music] advertising, political messaging, and algorithmic content work precisely because the target never believes they were the target.