Post-truth: Marcuse and New Forms of Social Control

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-2018

Department 1

Philosophy

Abstract

Post-truth political speech - the lies, disinformation, alternative facts, and propaganda that undermine rational discourse and political decision-making - operates to influence, obfuscate, and distract, executing messages and image content that allow for deniability, amplification, and distortion. Troll farms, targeted Facebook and Google ads, web brigades, Twitter bots, and other fake news production have proved able to disrupt elections, deliver votes on national referendums, accentuate social divisions, fuel racial animosity, and communicate fake news in coded speech that skillfully communications with targeted groups. As Malware does with its hostile software, fake news has its own executable code in viral contagion, video/audio manipulations, and active content that conceals intentionality and political will. In benign forms, fake news, coded memes, and image manipulation entertain- sharks swimming on flooded highways and Onion-like satire of political events- and blur the boundary of news and non-news.

ISBN/ISSN

9781440862731

Required Publisher's Statement

The full e-book can be purchased on the publisher's website: https://publisher.abc-clio.com/9781440862731/

This item is not available in The Cupola.

Share

COinS