Post-truth Time And False News According To Noam Chomsky

While false news is not a new thing, it has recently become a tool of post-truth politics. The politics of the post-truth era consists of subtly distorting reality to change and reshape people’s perceptions and opinions. False news makes these distortions official media hits.

The time after the truth is a new designation for an old friend: propaganda. Propaganda has always been a way of creating half-truths that are not really related to facts, but that many people end up believing because they are constantly repeated.

As a political activist against neoliberalism, Noam Chomsky is concerned about the post-truth period.

The politics and emotions of the post-truth period

According to Chomsky, the quality of life has declined over the past couple of decades due to neoliberal policies in the United States and Britain. The truth is that many people experience a mixture of anger and fear that ends in mistrust and escapism.

Emotions can play a big role in post-truth politics. People believe anything to satisfy their feelings, even when the facts don’t match. Therefore, the stronger your spiritual commitment to an idea, the stronger your fixation on it.

The recent immigration surplus has increased feelings of anger, xenophobia, revenge and frustration with living conditions. As a result, the closer these “truths” are to the current feeling, the more widely accepted they become. People want to believe whatever satisfies them, rather than believing evidence and facts.

Mass media, social media and lies

Prejudices have been a force of nature since the beginning of time. That is why Galileo, for example, had to withdraw its idea. Today, however, this has taken on a whole new dimension due to mass media and social media.

False news can turn viral in seconds. There are many tools to make them seem true. There are also ways to distort images or soundtracks. This leads to the effect of “if everyone says so, it must be true”.

Chomsky and the time after the truth

For Noam Chomsky, the time after the truth is not limited to politics. There are many other distorted realities related to economics, psychology, and lifestyle. As for the economy, Chomsky argues that all consumers are systematically deceived.

Take cars, for example. When you are buying a car, do you check the related information? What kind of car is it really? Are there any independent sources that can convince you what a car really is?

Chomsky believes that people today feel lonely and helpless.  So there are psychological ideologies that promote individuality. Your problems are only yours. They are perceived as private concerns that each of us must address alone.

At a time like this, you should pay attention to the philosophers of yesteryear. Don’t trust so much what is said on the internet and what information you come across. It is the responsibility of all of us to doubt new ideas and prevent mediocrity from becoming viral.