Roland Meyer, DIZH bridge professor for Digital Cultures and Arts, wrote the six-part column “Slopaganda” for WOZ, about AI-generated propaganda and what it does to us.
What is Slopaganda? “Slopaganda” combines “slop” and “propaganda”. Unlike classic propaganda, it isn’t centrally controlled. It’s participatory propaganda, spreading horizontally through countless accounts that share and vary content, with no identifiable author.
More than just disinformation: Using the example of the SVP’s “10 Million Switzerland” initiative, Meyer shows that it’s mainly about identification, about the feeling of seeing one’s own worldview confirmed.
As an accelerant, Elon Musk amplifies far-right and misogynist content on X. And behind the cartoonish fruit feuds of the viral genre *AI Fruit Drama* lie the same reactionary patterns.
Could this also be used from the left? Meyer remains skeptical: Slopaganda is no neutral tool. The final part of the column also asks how a shared reality can be defended against this AI-driven derealization.
Further links
- digital culture and arts: website of the DIZH bridge professorship for Digital Cultures and Arts (UZH and ZHdK)
- Why AI images are not harmless: Roland Meyer in our podcast “Schampar digital”