METHODS

This website came together originally as a piece about wage exploitation. However, as discussion commenced, the focus shifted towards the military pipeline, which was a great example of wage exploitation that was relatable to many people in the collegiate system. With this focus decided, a specification on the propaganda that the military used to draw people into the system appeared. We, as college students, have seen many examples of military propaganda on the internet, on billboards, and around campus. We have all received emails and text messages about the military, and how joining could lead to our college experience being paid for with the promise of joining the military afterwards. We focused on military propaganda and how it targeted low income and POC households, and spent many hours scouring formal sources to find data and information to produce this website. We divided work amongst ourselves with each person focusing on a different aspect of how military propaganda works. One member with a background in film and media focused on analysis of video propaganda, using a method called Critical Visual Analysis. This analysis method helps unpack deeper details of media pieces that help the audience understand explicit and subliminal messages that explore motivation and purpose. Another member focused on case studies of how military propaganda was targeted towards the different social and economic classes. Another person worked on the different target demographics of the military, and how these correlated with the case studies found, while another person worked on how the military affected economies, and how this itself worked as a form of propaganda. After each member completed their work, we reconvened to assemble into a cohesive website. We created a team abstract, along with team editing and many group meetings to finalize every member's work. The creation and finalization of the website took weeks before we were satisfied, and each member put in hours of work to create the finished product.