The “primacy effect”: the success of propaganda lies in the fact that disinformation reaches the audience before the truth
When conflicting information is received that can’t be quickly verified, a person tends to give preference to the information that came first.
Example:
A video of a military unit of the TD forces allegedly deployed from Zakarpattia to the Kharkiv region is circulating on social media. Due to the lack of military training and weapons, except for a few assault rifles, the military ask the country’s leadership to save them from imminent destruction by the enemy.
The official resources of the Armed Forces of Ukraine publish a message refuting the information: “the troops of the TDF from the specified region were not deployed to the front line, and the unit mentioned in the video does not exist at all.”
However, the published information can be perceived by the audience as an attempt to justify the actions of the command of the TD forces. Thus, the “primacy effect” has been achieved.
