There's nothing remotely sophisticated about the Party's use of propaganda in Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Party relies on simple-minded, contradictory slogans to get its message across to the populace; slogans such as "War is Peace", and "Freedom is Slavery."

Though such propaganda appears utterly ridiculous, it has a very serious purpose. The Party is involved in a systematic attempt to define the very nature of reality. Whatever the Party says in its daily propaganda broadcasts, no matter how patently absurd or contradictory, is to be accepted without question. The Party has turned itself into the sole purveyor of truth in Oceania. So even if the Party, in its infinite wisdom, says that 2+2=5, then it is, and there's to be no debate about it.

Getting people to believe manifest absurdities is a way of controlling their minds. This mind-control aspect of state propaganda is reinforced by the daily Two-Minute Hate. Here, the citizens of Oceania are expected to scream hateful abuse at the images of the regime's enemies, especially Emmanuel Goldstein, as they appear on screen. Giving the people an enemy binds them more closely to the state. If the Party and the people share a common enemy, then it's less likely that the people will rebel against the regime.