The Post-Truth Era: Unraveling the Web of Deception, Tribalism, and Magical Thinking

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“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act,” Author Unknown (1). We are in those times! The post-truth era is upon us: Rational thought has taken the back seat to a storm of emotion, personal beliefs, rampant tribalism, polarisation, and magical thinking. So, let us begin by looking at four terms: post-truth era, tribalism, polarisation, and the pièce de résistance — the thread that weaves its destructive matrix throughout — magical thinking.

The Post-Truth Era

The term “post-truth era” refers to a period in which objective facts and empirical evidence have less influence over public opinion and decision-making processes than appeals based on emotions, personal beliefs, and subjective perspectives. In this era, the boundaries between truth and falsehood have become blurred. Misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda can spread easily among various channels, including social media and other online platforms and has the habit of jumping from the “wires to the weeds” and back again to lurk in the shadows awaiting further victims (4). In a post-truth era, public discourse is often driven by emotional narratives, ideological biases, and tribalism rather than verifiable facts and well-reasoned arguments. People may be more inclined to accept and propagate information that aligns with their existing beliefs or values, even in the face of contradictory evidence. This phenomenon can lead to a polarisation of society, erosion of trust in institutions, and a diminished role for evidence-based decision-making processes in public policy and political debates. The term “post-truth era” gained prominence in the early 21st century due to the growth in “connected” technology and the speed with which information is disseminated, reflecting concerns about the increasing prevalence of false information, “fake news,” and the manipulation of public opinion through the meteoric rise of digital platforms. It highlights the challenges individuals, societies, and institutions face in navigating a media landscape where objective truth is often contested or overshadowed by subjective interpretations and emotional appeals (2).

Tribalism and Polarisation Compared and Contrasted

In the context of this piece, tribalism and polarisation share some similarities but also have distinct characteristics. These two terms are sometimes conflated in conversation, which is incorrect and tends to erase subtle nuance.

Tribalism:

Tribalism refers to a strong sense of loyalty, identification, and affiliation with a particular group or “tribe,” involving prioritising and defending the interests, beliefs, and values of one’s group over others. Tribalism often emerges based on factors such as nationality, ethnicity, political ideology, religion, or shared interests. In the context of the post-truth era, tribalism can lead to the acceptance of information that aligns with the group’s beliefs, even if it lacks factual accuracy. It can contribute to the formation of echo chambers and hinder the exchange of diverse perspectives.

Polarisation:

On the other hand, polarisation refers to the division or separation of individuals or groups into opposing or contrasting positions, signifying a state of being sharply divided or polarised on particular issues or ideologies. In the context of this article, polarisation is associated with societal polarisation, where people gravitate towards extreme positions and are less willing to engage with or consider alternative viewpoints. Tribalism can fuel polarisation, as individuals within their respective groups tend to align themselves with more extreme positions and resist finding common ground.

Magical Thinking

I added magical thinking to this piece because it weaves mycelium-like threads throughout the other concepts mentioned above, creating a sort of symbiosis of intersectionality among them where a fruiting body (false belief, formulation of a conspiracy theory or misinformation) can emerge anywhere on the spectrum created by that intersectionality.

Some psychologists believe magical thinking can be a coping mechanism or a way to make sense of complex or random phenomena. If that is a fact, what a perfect petri dish the world is now for fomenting this concept and its fantastical manifestations.

Magical thinking, in the context of this article, refers to a cognitive process characterised by the belief in supernatural or irrational explanations, often driven by emotions, personal beliefs, or subjective perspectives. It involves attributing causality and meaning to events or phenomena based on superstition, wishful thinking, or unfounded beliefs rather than relying on evidence, reason, or logical analysis. In the post-truth era, we often witness magical thinking that shapes public opinion and decision-making.

For example, despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines, some individuals hold onto unfounded beliefs that vaccines are linked to many harmful side effects or conspiracy theories such as microchips in vaccines (5). This magical thinking disregards the empirical evidence and relies on emotional appeals and personal beliefs, contributing to the spread of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Consequently, we have witnessed a re-emergence of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, and polio, in various parts of the world. For example, there were over 1,200 measles cases in the United States in 2019, the highest number in more than 25 years, primarily due to unvaccinated individuals being exposed to the virus.

Its Relevance in the Post-Truth Era

Magical thinking can significantly shape public opinion and decision-making processes in the post-truth era. It can lead individuals to embrace and propagate information or narratives that align with their pre-existing beliefs or desires, even in the absence of factual support. Magical thinking can contribute to disseminating misinformation, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience and hinder critical thinking and rational discourse. It can be lethal!

Its Influence in the Post-Truth Era

The influence of magical thinking in the post-truth era further blurs the boundaries between truth and falsehood. It can undermine the credibility of objective facts and evidence, making it more challenging to distinguish between reliable information and speculative claims. This phenomenon can exacerbate the challenges already posed by the post-truth era, such as tribalism, polarisation, and the erosion of trust in institutions.

By acknowledging the role of magical thinking in the context of the post-truth era, it becomes evident that a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape requires an examination of the various factors that contribute to the distortion of truth and the prevalence of subjective beliefs.

The Nuances of the Amalgamation

While tribalism and polarisation can be interconnected, tribalism primarily focuses on group dynamics and loyalty, whereas polarisation relates to the broader division and sharp contrast between different groups or individuals. Tribalism can contribute to polarisation by reinforcing group identities and exacerbating divisions between groups with conflicting beliefs or interests.

In summary, there is a complex interplay at the intersection of tribalism and polarisation. However, the two are independent concepts: Both play significant roles in the context of the post-truth era.

Tribalism refers to strong group loyalty and affiliation, which can contribute to the acceptance of information based on shared beliefs. Polarisation, on the other hand, highlights the sharp division and contrast between different groups or individuals. While tribalism and polarisation are related, tribalism primarily operates within individual groups, while polarisation describes the broader state of division and conflict between those groups.

We all must become aware of the dangers posed by the post-truth era. In the eternally relevant words of two of my favourite artists, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, may they rest in peace: “Get up, Stand up, Stand up for your rights” If you do not stand up for your rights, do

not be surprised when you have none.

When I say stand up for your rights, I mean you educate yourself: educate yourself in all ways that your rights are being threatened right now; and they are. We are all guilty of falling asleep at the wheel, content to go through the mundane motions of our daily lives without thought: essentially sedated by the daily grind (3).

PS:

I am under no illusions that people will accept what I am saying as true: we are, after all, far down the rabbit hole of the post-truth era; conversely, some people do not want to know. As Yuri Bezmenov discusses in his 1985 interview, people are “programmed:” Psychologically subverted, even if they are exposed to the truth and shown evidence, they will not accept it (Npatou, 2:50).

References

Npatou. (2016, 23 March 2016). KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov 1985 Interview. Explains KGB Manipulation of US Public Opinion. YouTube. https://youtu.be/pOmXiapfCs8

Political Polarisation — ECPS. (2023). Retrieved 23 June 2023, from https://www.populismstudies.org/Vocabulary/political-polarisation/

TopTakes: Suspected Russian Intelligence Operation. (2023). Retrieved 23 June 2023, from https://medium.com/dfrlab/top-takes-suspected-russian-intelligence-operation-39212367d2f0

Krasodomski-Jones, A., Smith, J., Jones, E., Judson, E., & Miller, C. (2019). Warring Songs: Information Operations in the Digital Age. DEMOS. Retrieved from https://demos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Warring-Songs-final-1.pdf

Beastofpeace. (22 May 2010). Bob Marley Peter Tosh — Get up, stand up / Live 73 England. Retrieved 23 June 2023, from https://youtu.be/zW_eXg1sqvM

CFR. (2023). Why Hasn’t the World Eradicated Polio? Retrieved 25 June 2023, from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/why-hasnt-world-eradicated-polio

Joan Donovan, Emily Dreyfus, Brian Friedberg. (20 September 2022). Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America. Retrieved 25 June 2023, from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drafted-into-Meme-Wars-Threatened/dp/1635578639

Ingeborg Eliassen and. Real 5G issues overshadowed by Covid-19 conspiracy theories. (2023). Retrieved 25 June 2023, from https://www.investigate-europe.eu/en/2020/5g-covid-conspiracy/?ie_s=ga&pk_campaign=en-5g&pk_source=google&pk_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwy9-kBhCHARIsAHpBjHiB6Kutfvjb9KYtrc-GLlGQtlH_FZxTTSmZehVTx5OQCU9kcFoUVGIaAlBIEALw_wcB

Footnotes

1. The quote: “The quote “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” is often attributed to George Orwell; however, empirical evidence and rigorous fact-checking suggest this is not the case.
2. The media landscape is now a powerful vector for military-strategic operations like disinformation, fomenting civil unrest, disseminating conspiracy theories etc. (Top Takes). The social media landscape is one of the most productive and inexpensive tools for practising asymmetric warfare.
3. When I use the term sedated (I wanted to use blue-pilling), I use it in the context of the daily grind itself: of being blissfully unaware of the truth around us, not the hijacked version of Red-pilling and Blue-pilling in popular use now that are used to support conspiracy theory beliefs like the 5g conspiracy that connected the spread of Covid to the technology.
4. From the wire to the weeds refers to actions stated online and then transferred to the real world: for example, demonstrations can be formed online and carried out on the streets. This phrase is one that I discovered in the book: Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America.
5. Most vaccines have side effects, but they are rare and, for the most part, not dangerous. There have been fatalities too, but the chances are so rare they are negligible. Side effects are features of most foods, too: and they are far more prevalent and dangerous than the ones attributed to vaccines. Do we stop eating?