What Is Postfactual Truth And What Is It Used For?
Post-factual truth is very “inside” these days. This little expression is called look as dense, although it is not always explained. But do not worry, because we are here to help you understand what it’s about.
Post-factual truth is a conscious distortion of the truth. In other words, it is a manipulation of beliefs and emotions in order to influence the public when it comes to people’s attitudes.
Postfactual truth refers to the use of emotions to release other people’s emotions to change their thoughts while hiding facts. The field in which this is mainly used is politics. Because of this, terms such as “populist discourse” and “fake news” have been created. Later in this article, we will explain these terms and the psychological keys that help us understand them.
As we have pointed out , you can find post-factual truth in speech. Many politicians use it to get the support of the people. One of the most common resources is the populist speech. These speeches stir up the masses because they promise impossible things. They promise them policies “of the people for the people” or simple solutions to all their problems.
On the other hand, there is a lot of fake news today. This is because people benefit from social networks and the internet. Fake news does not mean completely surprising news that is false, like rumors, that are used to deliberately spread misinformation.
We are bombarded with so much information these days that the term information intoxication has been coined. Because of this, it is very difficult to verify whether things are true or not. This helps many people believe in fake news.
Why is post-factual truth so attractive? And why do these speeches and news articles make us believe them? Mostly , the attractive in post-factual truth lies in the narrative. The speeches and articles share many characteristics that make us yearn for them. Some of these features are simple and sensible. They spread very simple explanations that we can understand and that seem logical.
Post-factual truth is based on dichotomies such as “everything is either black or white” and “if you are not with us, you are against us”. Post-factual truth also advocates a very hopeful future. These qualities make it look good, especially for some people; people who feel confused, disoriented and insecure.
These traits make people more pleasant to seek a higher level of completion. In addition, these people usually feel threatened, humiliated or insignificant. Because of this, they have an intense desire to search for something of importance.
As we have explained, there are two psychological factors that make us more inclined to believe in post-factual truth or the post-factual narrative. These are the need for completion and motivation to search for a source of weight. Both of these factors describe the mentality of the “losers of globalization”, who feel abandoned in a rapidly changing world and where they cannot find their place.
People with these traits feel disoriented and confused. Their way of doing things no longer works. Technology has made their skills obsolete and taken away from them their employment opportunities. They feel humiliated and undervalued. In their desperation, they passionately grasp the narrative of post-factual truth, which blows away their uncertainties and promises to make them well again.
The promises to put an end to all their problems and offer security and hope are easily accepted by these people.
But even though the internet has increased the amount of fake news , it also comes with resources to recognize them. There are specialized websites where fake news is revealed and where people are taught to distinguish between poetry and truth.
To avoid being deceived, one must simply develop one’s own abilities in critical thinking.
