Education, Media, and Technology in a Post-Truth World: An Analysis

‘Introduction to Media, Technology and Education in a Post-truth Society: From Fake News, Datafication and Mass Surveillance to the Death of Trust’ was launched on the 8th July 2021. This collection of essays is edited by 3CL director Alex Grech.

The essays revolve around this ongoing information crisis in the fields of Education, Media and Technology. Their authors seek to deconstruct and analyse the term ‘post-truth’ in their relative fields as well as find possible ways forward.

Questions formulated in the introduction are:

‘Will Big Tech ever take responsibility for the harm and lies caused by the misinformation they permit to spread on their platforms? Will there ever be new media models coded for the common good and which are free from native advertising?’[1]

The following premises served as the basis for this book:

• The post-truth problem is real.
• The post-truth problem is nuanced and needs a critical approach.
• Unbiased and current knowledge is needed to inform workable solutions that resist the excesses of the post-truth society. [2]

The Role of Education in a Post-Truth Era

What is the role of truth? How can we differ from many truths?

Covid-19 has brought about a play of political information leading to the invention of the term ‘infodemic.’ We can only be optimistic when there are more calls to ‘establish, celebrate, protect and reform large-scale authorities’; those at the helm who are responsible for building and engaging with information.[4] Yet, in education a broader struggle exists: Do educators have the tools to help students become wise navigators of the future information environment? Or are they scaremongering agents who seek to protect students from a space that could warp minds?[5]

Critical literacy instruction could be the tool that helps students ‘treat the root cause’ of the issue; thus serving as the fulcrum of a safe information space.[6]

Open innovation and open governance could possibly bridge the gap between an ever-evolving technology and  regulatory governance models playing catch-up. The move from closed values to open values may provide the tools for more trust, transparency, and autonomy.[7]

Is Journalism Dead in a World of Apocryphal Truth?

In a world where democracy finds itself undermined and threatened in a consistent manner, how do we go about saving journalism?

The first online portal to be attacked for spreading fake news was none other than Wikipedia. However, years and several ‘robust mechanisms’ later, it has come to safeguard its readers more than any other social media out there. The way the power of Wikipedia was controlled could serve as a lesson to other social media platforms. [8]

‘A gimmicky reaction’ to Trump’s election motto resulted in the name of an organisation called Make Media Great Again. This organisation aims to improve the quality of media through annotations, based on possible suggestions and labelled notes attributed to words, sentences, or paragraphs. [9]

Manipulated and fake images have also contributed negatively to the post-truth society in which we live. It is important to develop visual literacy and a critical approach to visuality as well as bolster ethical standards when it comes to creating visual narratives. This also applies when injecting storytelling elements in news writing.[10]

Negotiating With Technology in an Era of Debatable Truth

At this point, Blockchain is still in its early stages and thus, it is hard to assume what effects it will have and how it will evolve as it spreads. It could also take a completely different form to the one initially predicted. If it requires the service of all users, coming from all walks of life, then one cause for hope is that it leads to Labour and Capital collaborating together. [11]

Though it is does not provide a long-term solution to the issue of fake and multiple untruths, Blockchain could be the ideal tool for recording the two sides to that story.[12] Data ledger Technologies offer Self-sovereign Identity, Self-sovereign Data together with transparent and verifiable data and processing. This is the best we could hope for when it comes to channelling trust on the Web.[13]

Could Scientific Truth be the Key Solution?

When dealing with post-truths on social media platforms, thinking like scientists could be the answer. We could trust the ‘authority of the method rather than the authority of particular people or their social position.’ [14] This aligns with Yuval Noah Harari’s thoughts that ‘…the scientific community has been our most reliable source of knowledge for centuries.’ [15] Checking for empirical evidence when believing a claim is crucial. That should also be the case when making a claim.

[1] Grech, A. (2021)  Introduction (pg 6) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.

[2] Grech, A. (2021) pg 4,  ‘Introduction’ in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.

[3] Portelli J.P. and Oladi S. Post-Truth Society: Toward a Dialogical Understanding of Truth (pg 25) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[4] Alexander, B. Macroauthorities and Microliteracies: The New Terrain (pg 36) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[5] Alexander,B. Macroauthorities and Microliteracies: The New Tearrain ( pg 36) “”.

[6] Pauncefort, E. Critical Literacy is at the Heart of the Answer (pg 89) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[7] Balser, W. F. et al. Societal Reorientation via Programmable trust: A Case for Piloting (pg 106) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[8] Sant, T. How can Wikipedia Save us all? Assuming Good Faith from all Points (pg 142) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[9] Brave, R. Public rebuttal, Reflection and responsibility. Or an Inconvenient Answer to Fake News (pg 153) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[10] Topolska, A. Reflections on the Visual Truth and War Photography (pg 200) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[11] Basu, D. and Gabbay, M. Karl Marx and the Blockchain (pg 238) in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[12] Ellul,J. Grech,A. and Pace, G.J. Two Sides to Every Story. The Truth, Post-truth, and Blockchain Truth in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[13] Third, A, and Domingue, J. Decentralised Verification Technologies and the Web in Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[14] Smolenski, N. How Do We Know What Is True? (pg 275) In Media, technology and education in a post-truth society: From fake news, datafication and mass surveillance to the death of trust.

[15] Harari, Y.N. (2018) Post-Truth in 21 Lessons for the 21st Century United Kingdom: Vintage: Penguin Random House.