The Evolution of Propaganda: From Wartime Leaflets to Digital Precision

Propaganda evolves with technology, but its mission remains constant: shape perception to influence policy. What began as broad public messaging campaigns has transformed into precision-targeted operations that follow individuals through their digital lives.

During World War I, the United States established its first formal propaganda apparatus through the Committee on Public Information (CPI). This organization flooded newspapers, films, posters, and public speeches with messaging designed to rally support for America’s entry into the conflict. The CPI’s innovation was coordinating these efforts across every major medium, transforming propaganda from scattered persuasion attempts into an organized federal enterprise. This period marked a fundamental shift in the relationship between media and government power.

In the post-World War II era, influence campaigns became permanently integrated into U.S. defense strategy. The Department of Defense formally defined psychological operations as planned efforts to deliver selected information to foreign audiences to influence emotions, reasoning, and behavior. Later guidance framed information operations more broadly as the integrated use of multiple tools designed to influence adversary decision-making while protecting America’s own.

The post-9/11 conflicts revealed how deeply embedded perception management had become in military operations. The Washington Post’s “Afghanistan Papers” exposed how senior officials delivered optimistic public briefings while privately acknowledging confusion, failure, and manipulated metrics intended to create an illusion of progress in a war lacking coherent strategy. This created a dangerous feedback loop where the narrative began driving policy rather than reflecting reality on the ground.

The United States isn’t alone in developing these capabilities. Russia’s Internet Research Agency modernized propaganda tactics by deploying fabricated social media personas, emotional targeting, and coordinated content streams. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan report detailed how Russian operatives reached millions of Americans during the 2016 election cycle. This evolution marks a shift from traditional broadcasting to algorithmic influence, where targeted content appears personalized rather than manufactured.

Recent developments show even more sophisticated approaches. One striking example involves Israeli-linked public relations contractors using geofencing to deliver political messaging around American churches. Foreign Agent Registration Act filings reveal that a firm called Show Faith by Works proposed what they described as the “Largest Geofencing and targeted Christian Digital Campaign ever,” planning to “Geofence the actual boundaries of every Major church in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado, and all Christian Colleges during worship times.”

The scope of this operation is significant. Documentation shows 38 churches targeted by name in Arizona, while Texas filings reviewed by the Houston Chronicle revealed more than 200 churches identified for potential messaging. In total, the proposal outlined plans to target 219 megachurches in California, 38 in Arizona, 14 in Nevada, and 32 in Colorado. This represents propaganda by coordinates—political messaging delivered not by demographic category but by physical location during moments of worship.

Alongside geofencing, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has funded a large-scale paid influencer campaign. Invoices filed with the Department of Justice show that Bridges Partners billed nearly $900,000 for fourteen to eighteen influencers producing seventy-five to ninety posts on TikTok and Instagram. Analysis of these invoices indicates compensation of roughly $6,100 to $7,300 per post.

Show Faith by Works plans to expand this strategy by contracting Christian influencers with large youth audiences, integrating them into the same system. This model blends state messaging with what appears to be personal testimony, making propaganda feel intimate and authentic.

Across these developments, a clear pattern emerges: modern propaganda no longer simply broadcasts to the public but follows individuals through their daily routines. Cold War leaflets have evolved into targeted Facebook personas. Broadcast radio has transformed into geofenced sanctuaries. Press conferences have morphed into monetized influencer posts.

Whether deployed by Russia’s digital factories or through Israel’s church-geofencing strategy, the principle remains constant: shape the informational environment so thoroughly that the messaging feels like part of everyday life rather than a political operation.

Propaganda is most effective when invisible. Today’s influence operations are continuous, data-driven, and intimately tied to the platforms people use for news, conversation, and community. While the techniques have evolved dramatically, the objective remains unchanged: control the story, and you control the political reality constructed around it.