> What's "naïve" is you or anyone else thinking they have the power to "nudge people into better patterns" > You can't, and you never will. Culture evolves slowly, and humans even slower.

There is ample evidence since at least World War I, that both 'positive' PSA type information and 'negative' propaganda/counter information/psy ops absolutely have an effect.

Reminder that the Wakefield fraud in 1998, on M.M.R. vaccines and autism, started a negative sentiment towards vaccination and is directly attributed to the measles outbreaks (and deaths) across the developed world (Amplified by Oprah's platform). [1]

Reminder that still today many people will claim carrots give you better vision (they are indeed healthy). This was a counter-info operation from the British, claiming they were providing Air Control with carrots, in order to hide the existing of newly invented RADAR technology against German Bombers. [2]

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/

[2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propagand...