Hello everyone,
As we all know and are very aware of the misinformation that has been spread in various fields such as politics, religion, social media, journalism, etc., These misinformation and half-truths have a more personal and emotional influence on people's minds, and people develop a propensity to neglect the facts and evidence. This is called "post-truth", and this term was declared the 2016 word of the year.
Definitions of Post-Truth
- 'relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief' (Oxford Dictionary)
- 'A condition or state in which emotional or personal beliefs have a greater influence on shaping public opinion, decision-making, and discourse than objective facts or empirical evidence. In a post-truth environment, subjective feelings and narratives often take precedence over verifiable truths and rational discourse, leading to the spread of misinformation and a diminished reliance on factual accuracy and expertise in public discourse.' (ChatGPT)
Examples of Post-Truth
It is widely known that the 21st century is a century of technology. There are a variety of platforms from which people can disseminate information, whether true or false. And people who come across this information are more likely to believe it without going deep into the authentic details.
Here are some areas in which the spreading of fake news and misinformation is abundantly common.
Politics
Post-truth politics is very prevalent in India as well as other developed countries. Politicians often make fake claims and overstatements. They support their claims with misinformation and half-truths. Competitive exams are the best example of the recent post-truth era. There are many candidates waiting for these exams to be conducted, but these exams come once every four or five years, and the government also declares these exams prior to elections just to gain votes.
Social Media
In contemporary times, most people have accounts on different social media platforms. There are many people who spread misinformation on these platforms, and most people believe the information without seeking its authenticity. Students are becoming victims of this misinformation, along with literate adults, because they prefer to seek evidence that better suits their beliefs and also ignore opposing views. One of the prime examples of this is WhatsApp, which is in a way the center of spreading trumped-up stories, which people tend to believe in their first reading without any kind of question. It is the responsibility of the school to make students aware of such things.
Recently, there was a rumor on the internet about the death of famous Zimbabwean cricketer Heath Streak, who in reality was alive, and he had to hold a press conference to prove that he was alive. And this fake news was shared by none other than his cricket friend. But soon after this rumor went viral, he really died. Such cases are nowadays common; therefore, everyone should insist on authentic information, and media literacy has become important.
History
There can be a group of people who can alter history according to their beliefs and ideologies. And it could be a deliberate plan as well to give bogus information about a particular historical event or historical personality. For instance, who is a better freedom fighter, Gandhi or Patel?Or there are numerous fake information available on internet about Jawaharlal Nehru such as, he was a Muslim not a Hindu.
We can connect this with George Orwell's 1984, in which protagonist Winston Smith works in the "Ministry of Truth", This name is also ironic as their function is not to reveal truth but rather to manipulate the truth and provide misinformation in favor of party politics.
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