Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking

6.3. Altering Reality: Framing

Framing has been defined as information and experiences in life that alter the way one reacts to the decisions one must make. From a non-social engineer point of view, framing is your own personal experiences and the experiences of others that you allow into your conscious mind to alter the way you make decisions.

Grocery stores use framing by putting "75% lean" on a package of ground meat as opposed to "25% fat." These terms mean the same thing (both have 25% fat content) but one sounds healthier and is more appealing to the buyer, and that is why stores use 75% lean as opposed to labeling the actual fat content.

The preceding example is simple, but it is also one that helps to show the power of framing. Simply presenting the facts in a different way can make something seem good that would normally be considered bad.

The following sections look at a few areas where framing is often used so you can see how powerful it is.

6.3.1. Politics

Framing has long been used in politics. Simply the way campaigns or messages are worded can make a huge difference in the way the public perceives a message.

Consider, for example, George Lakoff, a professional cognitive linguist. In an interesting observation on framing in politics, he states the difference in how people perceive the use of the phrases "Counterterrorism as law enforcement" versus "Counterterrorism as war." When the 9/11 attacks occurred, Colin Powell argued that they should be treated as crimes. ...