Framing Through Linguistic Engineering: The Mechanisms of Opinion Manipulation

• Strategic word choice functions as a tool for linguistic engineering to steer public opinion and secure the interests of corporations and power structures.
• Terms like "absenteeism" or "inevitability of progress" serve to minimize the rights of workers and consumers while maximizing corporate profitability.
• Media and PR firms operate based on Edward Bernays' propaganda theories to normalize these frames within mainstream discourse.

Strategic Goals of Linguistic Engineering

• "Absenteeism": Simplifies a statistical phenomenon into a narrative of lazy workers, allowing corporations to avoid addressing root causes like workplace stress and labor conditions.
• "Inevitability of Progress": Used by big tech to justify removing consumer rights (e.g., the transition from physical ownership to digital licensing) by dismissing all objections as resistance to the future.
• Additional Examples: Terms like "collaborative economy" (hiding the exploitation of platform labor), "flexibility" (transferring risk from firm to employee), and "inquiokupa" (criminalizing renters) are manufactured to distort reality or stigmatize groups.

The Mechanism of Opinion Formation

• PR agencies and press offices act as professional service providers for managing public opinion.
• The cycle relies on consultants producing eye-catching reports, questionable survey methodologies, uncritical media coverage, and repetitive debate panels to cement specific terminology.
• By repeating these terms until they trend, corporations can set agendas and terms of operation without negotiation, effectively concluding the debate in their favor.