Subliminal Messages, The Roots of Subliminal Perception

Subliminal Messages

The Roots of Subliminal Perception

Subliminal messages and perception are linked to the idea of mind control, and the roots of this are placed very far back in our history. Mind control is where an individual or group of individuals can be controlled without their awareness. It is perception below the individual's/group's threshold. It is also the idea that people can be made to do things they would not ordinarily do. (Cane)
There are two basic ways in which subliminal messages can be sent to the unconscious- visual and auditory. Since at least the 5th century B.C., the early Greeks created the science of rhetoric as a way of influencing people. By infusing pieces of mind-persuading data into sentences people can be manipulated by the language they use. If they see or hear certain bits of information (i.e. words, fragments, or sentences) placed strategically, a person can be persuaded one way or another (without perhaps knowing). Based on experimental findings in social psychology and the way in which we process information, the effectiveness of subliminal perception has been continually examined throughout history. Subliminal messaging and mind control persists to be under scrutiny, as to whether it is capable of doing what it intends to do on the targeted person.

We have reason to believe that subliminal messaging is effective based on findings in historical contexts. An example of auditory subliminal messaging dates back to the 1920s when the BBC began broadcasting on radio for the first time. The people of the era thought the radio was so sinister, they considered it to be the voice of the devil. The BBC wanted to change this attitude, so they placed certain phrases using backward masking in their jingles. This may be an example of subliminal messaging used to persuade an entire nation to responding other than how they necessarily wanted to. A radio jingle was aired, which sounded completely innocent, but when played backwards it reveals a different (true) purpose. The words "This is not a noose, no really its not." Can clearly be heard. The BBC believed the subconscious could pick up backward messages in ordinary speech. (Cane) The BBC is obviously still around today, so did this jingle serve its deeper purpose?

Public concern about subliminal manipulation can be seen in 1957 when a marketing researcher looked into statistical data. James Vicary claimed to find dramatic increases in the sales of Coca-Cola and popcorn when he flashed the phrases "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Eat popcorn" for 1/2000 of a second during a movie. The statistics showed an increase in popcorn sales by 58%, with an increase in Coca-Cola sales by 18%. (Cane) This is perhaps the shocking information that led to an enormous response from the public. Individuals as well as legislators imagined possible effects of subliminal perception on the future- a world where everyone was subliminally manipulated to do what perhaps the government wanted them to do. (Elliston) In reality though, research on subliminal effects has shown little overall effects in controlled conditions. There is no evidence based in real-world settings done by top researchers on influencing behavior. Also, in 1962, Vicary stated that the study was a fabrication and the evidence now suggests it was. He never released a detailed description of his study and there was never any independent evidence to support what he claimed.

Throughout history, we have looked to political and governmental institutions to examine whether mind control and subliminal perception has been used amongst the general public. The CIA, for example, is one branch of government thought to use this technique in order to gain its authority over large bodies of people. If it is actually effective is up to public opinion of belief and personal reported experience.

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