Abstract:

Post-truth is a concept that has gained too much visibility after it was declared as the word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary in 2016 and has also done a lot of academic study on it before. This concept has been included in both the communication work on the basis of false news in the sense of transcendent (fake news) in the field of politics in terms of its use in populist political speeches and in the philosophy and sociology discussions in terms of the depreciation of truth. This study, like many concepts that lost meaning in the postmodern era, aims to question how reality has become a perception produced and built in the post-truth era, which is a product of postmodernism. When doing this, we aim to concrete a work area with a broad literature like reality, in the framework of the individual and society relationship with a sociological viewpoint. Then the social construction theory will be revealed and the post-truth relationship will be resolved. The study ended with the question of whether a social scientists’ struggle against the post-truth concept is necessary. Post-truth alone is not the sudden loss of reality and true knowledge, but a result of the struggle between the mind and emotions of the individual created by the postmodern process. Before we begin to fight the concept, we think that it should also discuss its sociological effects and that this study will contribute to these discussions.

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Abstract:

Post-truth, after the Oxford Dictionary was announced as the word of the year in 2016, has gained a lot of visibility and but it is a concept that has been done a lot of academic work about it before that announcement. This concept is related to communication studies through fake news, and politics in terms of its use in populist political discourses and philosophy and sociology in terms of the insignificance of truth. This study aims to question that how reality transformed into a perception which produced and built in the age of post-truth, as a product of postmodernism, like many concepts that have lost their meaning in the postmodern era. In doing so, a field of study that has a wide literature such as reality, We aim to concretize it with a sociological perspective by limiting it within the framework of individual and social relationships. Then, by introducing the social constructivism theory, its relationship with post-truth will be analyzed. The study finishes with the questioning of whether there is a necessary struggle against the concept of post-truth by social scientists. Post-truth is not just a situation that is suddenly losing reality and correct information, but it is a result of the struggle between the mind and emotions of the individual created by the postmodern process. Before fighting against that concept, the conditions of its sociological emergence should be discussed.