Post-truth Era

To quote the Oxford Dictionaries, post-truth is a state “in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” That is certainly true of politics today when pure lies are seen as truth because some people believe whatever they see on social media.

            A Stanford University survey found that in this day and age most of the people who get their news from social media don’t know the difference between real and fake news. Truth is no longer as influential as it was when everyone read major newspapers and knew that opinions were based on facts, not emotions. They also knew that the news printed in newspapers and seen on major television networks had been confirmed by reliable sources. In our current post-truth era, whatever anyone posts online can be seen as being the truth, and the more followers the more believed the fake news is it seems.

            It is very sad to see so many people not taking the time to base their opinions on reliable sources, preferring instead to go the quick route of instant media. How does that affect the transmission of important and vital information so that the public will see and understand it as being the truth? I don’t have the answer, other than the fact that instant media is a reality which will not disappear tomorrow.

            Every age has its problems and concerns, of course. Reversing the post-truth era is certainly one we should all want in this day and age. How to do it is of course the question. Enticing people who use instant media to become more responsible could be an option, but I’m not holding my breath.