Post-truth is trendy. We hear this expression often without comprehending it. However, we will clarify. The purposeful manipulation of reality is post-truth. Post-truth manipulates perceptions and emotions to influence public opinion and individual behaviour.
Post-truth involves using emotions to manipulate people's minds and hide the truth. Post-truth is most common in politics. Post-truth concepts like populist speeches and fake news have emerged. We'll discuss these concepts and their psychological keys below.
Post-truth uses speeches and writings to influence or distort reality. Thus, many politicians use it to get support. Populist speeches are widely utilised. Promises of the impossible shake the crowds in these talks. By offering “of the people for the people” policies and simple answers to all problems.
Social media and the Internet have also promoted fake news. False news is called “fibs”. They generally deceive intentionally. We receive so much information daily. We term this infoxication. Verifying these is difficult. So we accept phoney news as true.
Why is post-truth appealing? What makes speeches and news convincing? The story makes post-truth alluring. News and speeches share numerous appealing traits. These include simplicity and constancy. We can grasp their straightforward explanations. The rest are consistent.
Dichotomies define posterity. Everything is black or white; “If you're not with the good guys, you're with the bad guys”. Post-truth promises a brighter future. Some will find post-truth appealing due of these traits.
Especially for confused, disoriented, and insecure persons. Their traits will increase their need for cognitive closure. These people also feel frightened, embarrassed, or insignificant. Thus, they are driven to be important.
We found two psychological variables that favour post-truth narratives. The urge for closure and significance is great. These two elements explain “globalization losers” who feel abandoned in a rapidly changing world where they have no place.
These traits cause confusion and disorientation. Their methods no longer function. Technology has rendered their skills and occupations obsolete.
Feeling degraded and undervalued. In despair, people enthusiastically embrace post-truth narratives because they erase their insecurities and promise to fix them. These folks will readily accept promises to solve all their problems and give them hope.
If the Internet has increased bogus news, it has also given us the tools to spot it. We find phoney news on specialised pages like stop fake. Guidelines for distinguishing fake news from true news.
Here are some tips: Check the author (a lot of fake news doesn't indicate the author), see if the same news occurs in other media, and see if there is a clear ideology or distinct points of view. To avoid post-truth, critical thinking is needed.