
Why not just agree to disagree and move on peacefully?
It is natural to disagree on various aspects of life and to argue—sometimes verbally, sometimes even violently. Different opinions lead to dissent—an essential trait of human nature. Without dissent, there would be no progress. Permanent agreement and consensus often result in complacency and stagnation. Without frequent disagreements, life would never be as vibrant and exciting as it is today.
Disagreement is an emotional state shared by at least two people. It can sometimes evolve into a movement or mass trend: willingly or instinctively, we align ourselves with an idea—or its opposite—turning disagreement into the emotional foundation of an argument.
For thousands of years, spreading ideas has been an art—the art of mass influence. With the rise of social media, now dominated by a handful of global big-tech platforms, this art has transformed into a multi-billion-dollar industry. So-called “influencers” profit handsomely by steering public opinion in a desired direction.
Numerous scientific and popular publications have explored the mechanisms of mass psychology. “Propaganda” by Edward Bernays and “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind” by Gustave Le Bon are just a few notable examples. Understanding how public relations works is essential, as lacking this knowledge can lead to poor decision-making and hinder critical thinking.
Edward Bernays described public relations as “the engineering of consent,” a mechanism through which public opinion could be shaped and even entirely manufactured. He believed that in democratic societies, where people are overwhelmed with information, those in power must guide public thinking; in other words, the public must be told what to thnk. This insight explains much about the behavior of both new and mainstream media and their impact on society.
Public relations activities aim to shape a positive or negative image in the minds of their target—the global audience. Millions, sometimes billions, of dollars are spent to support one side or the other of an argument. While measuring the success of a PR campaign is often difficult, the sheer scale of investment in PR-related activities proves their effectiveness. Their intensity appears to be increasing steadily. Recognizing that PR can dramatically influence the mind of a presumably “free” individual is as disturbing as it is fascinating.
Viewing emotionally driven mass movements through a historical lens helps reveal patterns in the current PR-driven tech landscape. I have compiled a non-exhaustive list of such PR battles.
- ZX Spektrum vs. Commodore C64
- Amiga vs. Atari ST
- PC vs. Apple Macintosh
- Microsoft Windows vs. Linux
- Unix vs. Windows NT
- BSD vs. System V Unix
- OS/2 vs. MS Windows
- Mainframe vs. PC
- iPhone vs. Android vs. Blackberry
- Intel vs. AMD
- NVIDIA vs. AMD
- RISC vs. CISC
- IBM Power vs. x86 Servers
- Object oriented concept and languages vs. procedural development
- Process methodologies:
- Agile vs.
- Waterfall vs.
- Automotive SPICE vs.
- CMMI vs.
- SAFe vs.
- V-Model vs.
- Feature-Driven-Development
- C++ vs. Java
- Java vs. C#
- Visual Studio vs. Eclipse
- Git vs. Subversion (SVN)
- Emacs vs. Vim
- Unity vs. Unreal Engine
- Thin client vs. fat client
- MySQL vs. PostgreSQL vs. Oracle vs. SQL Server
- 4GL languages vs. conventional IDEs
- Jira vs. Redmine vs. Bugzilla
- AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud
- Microsoft vs. Open Source (FOSS)
- Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Microsoft Explorer/Edge
- Blu-ray vs. HD DVD
- VHS vs. Betamax
- Big Tech AI (OpenAI vs. Google DeepMind vs. Meta AI vs. Anthropic vs. DeepSeek)
- Blockchain (Bitcoin) vs. Gold vs. fiat money (conventional banks)
- Electric Cars (EVs) vs. ICE (internal combustion engine)
- Windmills vs. coal mines vs. nuclear power plants
This list may become a permanent, regularly updated resource over time.
The essence of this observation is that we—the people—must be aware of these “trends” because they are rarely the result of organic development where the best concept wins. Instead, the public is constantly targeted to serve substantial commercial and political interests. These outcomes may trap us in a “local maximum”—a situation where significantly better results are possible, yet we are manipulated into believing change is either unnecessary or unlikely.
In my view, reading books on such topics is the best strategy to escape these “local maxima.” On ProjectCrunch.com, we have compiled books and publications designed to sharpen critical thinking and help recognize both the perils and opportunities of public relations strategies (see here and here).
In a world where narratives shape reality, the real battle isn’t just between technologies—it’s between perception and truth. So let’s fight the right fight—a PR fight.
I am a project manager (Project Manager Professional, PMP), a Project Coach, a management consultant, and a book author. I have worked in the software industry since 1992 and as a manager consultant since 1998. Please visit my United Mentors home page for more details. Contact me on LinkedIn for direct feedback on my articles.