---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The key element of social control is the…"
description: "\"The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by politi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg"
---

#  The key element of social control is the strategy of…

![“The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by political and economic elites, through the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg)

> “The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by political and economic elites, through the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.”

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Distraction tactics are used by elites to divert public focus from crucial issues, employing constant flood of trivial information to maintain control.

**In simple terms:** Elites distract with endless noise.

Key Takeaway

Stay informed and question distractions.

Themes

politics media control

Mood

alert critical

Type

political educational

When to use this quote

- news consumption
- civic education
- activism
- policy analysis
- media literacy

Key Concepts

propaganda agenda‑setting information overload

Questions to Reflect On

- What issues are you being distracted from?
- How can you identify purposeful distractions?

A Different Perspective

Distractions can also raise awareness unintentionally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction/) [Distractions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distractions/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flood/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-control/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/)

## Related quotes

> [U.S. domestic drug policy does not carry out its stated goals, and policymakers are well aware of that. If it isn't about reducing substance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/u-s-domestic-drug-policy-does-not-carry-out-its-stated-goals-and/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [In ideal form of social control is an atomised collection of individuals focused on their own narrow concern, lacking the kinds of organisations in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-ideal-form-of-social-control-is-an-atomised-collection-of/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I cannot stand public attention, I just can't. Of course, if I may I might write something instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/i-cannot-stand-public-attention-i-just-can-t-of-course-if-i-may-i/)

[Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/)

> [You see people on TV flying in to places just to pick up a baby, or brush some flies away. That's great if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-winger/you-see-people-on-tv-flying-in-to-places-just-to-pick-up-a-baby-or/)

[Debra Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-winger/)

> [The reason we are so pleased to find other people's secrets is that it distracts public attention from our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-reason-we-are-so-pleased-to-find-other-people-s-secrets-is-that/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Plus the public's attention span is so short right now, if a skater doesn't strike while the iron is hot... well it's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-boitano/plus-the-public-s-attention-span-is-so-short-right-now-if-a-skater/)

[Brian Boitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-boitano/)

> [The desire to be the object of public attention is weak, but the excessive dread of it is but a form of vanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-coleridge/the-desire-to-be-the-object-of-public-attention-is-weak-but-the/)

[Sara Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-coleridge/)

> [To have the recognition of your colleagues is great. The public attention is a mixed blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-lederberg/to-have-the-recognition-of-your-colleagues-is-great-the-public/)

[Joshua Lederberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-lederberg/)

> [I don't enjoy public attention. I don't like being recognised, being clicked, or being written about. But then it is destiny. I am just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-menen/i-don-t-enjoy-public-attention-i-don-t-like-being-recognised-being/)

[Nithya Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithya-menen/)

> [By pretending that convention is Nature, that disobeying a personal prohibition is a medical illness, they establish themselves as agents of social control and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/by-pretending-that-convention-is-nature-that-disobeying-a-personal/)

[Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/)

> [“Six decades and two years, no more than a passing glance of time, separate Mendel's initial experiments on peas and the court-mandated sterilization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/six-decades-and-two-years-no-more-than-a-passing-glance-of-time/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Regulation of sexual behavior is the preferred route to wider social control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/regulation-of-sexual-behavior-is-the-preferred-route-to-wider-social/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [Social control is best managed through fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/social-control-is-best-managed-through-fear/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

> [Men have been adjudicating on what women are, and how they should behave, for millennia through the institutions of social control such as religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/men-have-been-adjudicating-on-what-women-are-and-how-they-should/)

[Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/)

> [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/)

[David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/)

## More by Noam Chomsky

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

[Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

## More Attention quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/)

[Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/)

> [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/)

[Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/)

[Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/)

> [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/)

[Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/)

[Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/)

> [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/)

[Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/)

[Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from important issues and changes decided by political and economic elites, through the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Noam Chomsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the-strategy-of-distraction-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attention"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the-strategy-of-distraction-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/noam-chomsky-42_attention_the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the_1182922.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The key element of social control is the strategy of distraction that is to divert public attention from…” — Noam Chomsky",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Noam Chomsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The key element of social control...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the-strategy-of-distraction-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-key-element-of-social-control-is-the-strategy-of-distraction-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
