1.
McIntyre’s chapter What Is Post-Truth? (2018) defines the ways in which truth can be subverted, the differences and magnitudes of these subversions, and the real world impacts of these truth subversions, or Post-Truths. The reading deals with examining intent and belief of the people spreading “truths” based on their emotions — and the emotions of others — to add to their argument, using Donald Trump as the main case study. More generally, the reading pushes the reader to consider the information they consume and look at facts shared from within their context, not as they are presented to you (out of context) (McIntyre 2018). McIntyre imparts a disconcerting realisation, in an overwhelming individualised age: “the real problem here, I claim, is not merely the content of any particular (outrageous) belief, but the overarching idea that—depending on what one wants to be true—some facts matter more than others.” (McIntyre 2018:10). The opening chapter sets-up the groundwork for an argument that denounces the distortion of truth and seeks to bring meaning back to facts and science. McIntyre sets out to understand how and why this occurred and what can be done for a better future, one where people do not fall victim to manipulation and lies.
2.
An ongoing source of disinformation prior to Trump’s inauguration is the conspiracy theorist debate around the legitimacy of the 1969 Moon Landing. This theory follows the belief that America staged the moon landing to ensure they won the Space Race, to appear superior to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. A study conducted in 2022 found that a quarter of surveyed Europeans believe that the moon landing never happened, showing that disinformation has lingering effects (Science Business 2022). This example shows that disinformation can shape and solidify peoples opinions and ideologies, especially affecting people’s trust in government organisations.
3.
Since Trump’s inauguration in 2016, disinformation has spread heavily through social media platforms, notably through Facebook and TikTok — and its impressionable young audience (Scientific American 2022). Living through the COVID-19 pandemic was a shared experience, one where isolation sent people online to reconnect. The hysteria surrounding COVID-19, as a result of its scale and the constantly shifting advice and information, meant that people were more susceptible to disinformation relating to COVID (Meppelink et al 2022). Widespread disinformation meant that people believed Coronavirus was a planted bioweapon for population control, or that the vaccines had trackers in them; creating a distrust in governments, scientists and causing people to disregard legal restrictions and health advice, having an exacerbating effect on the pandemics impact (Meppelink et al 2022).
References
McIntyre L (2018) Post-Truth, MIT Press, Cambridge.
Meppelink C, Bos L, Boukes M and Möller J (2022) ’A Health Crisis in the Age of Misinformation: How Social Media and Mass Media Influenced Misperceptions about COVID-19 and Compliance Behavior’, Journal of Health Communication, 27(10):764-775, DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2022.2153288
Science Business (2022) Conspiracy thinking: 25% of Europeans say the moon landing never happened, Science Business website, accessed 11 March 2024. https://sciencebusiness.net/news/covid-19/conspiracy-thinking-25-europeans-say-moon-landing-never-happened
Scientific American (2022) Experts Grade Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube on Readiness to Handle Election Misinformation, Scientific American website, accessed 12 March 2024. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-grade-facebook-tiktok-twitter-youtube-on-readiness-to-handle-election-misinformation1/