Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Propaganda, media influence, and societal polarization are at the heart of Petra Radić’s research, a PhD candidate at CEU’s Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations. In her work, she explores how news narratives and linguistic patterns gradually lead people to accept democratic backsliding, rising ethnic hatred, and political polarization. By combining media analysis with experimental methods, Petra uncovers how specific words and frames trigger emotions, shape attitudes, and normalize political change in contemporary societies.
The CEU Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) 2026 Final celebrated the depth and societal relevance of doctoral research at Central European University. In just three minutes each, 11 PhD candidates presented their research to a broad audience, demonstrating how complex ideas can be communicated clearly and with impact.
About CEU
Central European University (CEU) is a research-focused university offering a wide spectrum of interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the heart of Europe. Our ever-growing international community of students, alumni, permanent and visiting faculty and program partners enables you to challenge conventional wisdom, explore diverse perspectives and critically examine the biggest challenges of the 21st century.
Learn more:
https://www.ceu.edu/
https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/watch-3mt
More from CEU
Website: https://www.ceu.edu/
Facebook: facebook.com/WeAreCEU
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/weareceu.bsky.social
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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/central-european-university
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Timestamps
0:00 Introduction: Why did citizens of the Third Reich remain passive?
0:10 Framing the problem: Empathy, human nature, and conformity debates
0:27 Existing explanations: How propaganda convinced people
1:08 Research focus: From disbelief to full acceptance of narratives
1:47 Contemporary application: Ethnic hatred and societal polarization
2:03 Methodology: Analyzing decades of media in Serbia and Hungary
2:36 Experimental approach: Testing which mechanisms influence people
3:07 Conclusion: Importance of understanding propaganda
#WeAreCEU #SeeUatCEU #PropagandaAndPersuasion #SocietalPolarization#MediaInfluence
Propaganda, media influence, and societal polarization are at the heart of Petra Radić’s research, a PhD candidate at CEU’s Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations. In her work, she explores how news narratives and linguistic patterns gradually lead people to accept democratic backsliding, rising ethnic hatred, and political polarization. By combining media analysis with experimental methods, Petra uncovers how specific words and frames trigger emotions, shape attitudes, and normalize political change in contemporary societies.
The CEU Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) 2026 Final celebrated the depth and societal relevance of doctoral research at Central European University. In just three minutes each, 11 PhD candidates presented their research to a broad audience, demonstrating how complex ideas can be communicated clearly and with impact.
About CEU
Central European University (CEU) is a research-focused university offering a wide spectrum of interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the heart of Europe. Our ever-growing international community of students, alumni, permanent and visiting faculty and program partners enables you to challenge conventional wisdom, explore diverse perspectives and critically examine the biggest challenges of the 21st century.
Learn more:
https://www.ceu.edu/
https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/watch-3mt
More from CEU
Website: https://www.ceu.edu/
Facebook: facebook.com/WeAreCEU
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/weareceu.bsky.social
Instagram: instagram.com/weareceu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/central-european-university
Threads: threads.net/@weareceu
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction: Why did citizens of the Third Reich remain passive?
0:10 Framing the problem: Empathy, human nature, and conformity debates
0:27 Existing explanations: How propaganda convinced people
1:08 Research focus: From disbelief to full acceptance of narratives
1:47 Contemporary application: Ethnic hatred and societal polarization
2:03 Methodology: Analyzing decades of media in Serbia and Hungary
2:36 Experimental approach: Testing which mechanisms influence people
3:07 Conclusion: Importance of understanding propaganda
#WeAreCEU #SeeUatCEU #PropagandaAndPersuasion #SocietalPolarization#MediaInfluence
