Social Media, Politics and Post-Truth: A New Way to Influence Citizens: Perla Sosa

When emotions outweigh facts, digital platforms don’t just inform us — they shape what we accept as true and erode democratic debate.

Post-truth is a social and political phenomenon in which emotions, personal beliefs and group identity carry more weight than verifiable facts when people form their opinions. In this context, objective truth loses ground to narratives that feel emotionally appealing or that reinforce people’s prior convictions. Although the manipulation of information has existed throughout history, the speed and reach of digital technologies have amplified the impact of post-truth on public life.

One of the main effects of post-truth on citizens is the difficulty of distinguishing between evidence-based information and content designed to influence them emotionally. Social media allow simplified, attention-grabbing or controversial messages to spread quickly, regardless of their accuracy. As a result, many people end up taking positions on important issues without having checked the sources or critically analyzed the information they receive.

Post-truth also contributes to social polarization. When individuals consume mainly information that confirms their beliefs, they tend to harden their opinions and distrust those who think differently. Under these conditions, democratic dialogue becomes more difficult and the search for common ground weakens.

Another significant effect is the distrust it breeds: when contradictory or misleading messages circulate constantly, citizens may grow wary of institutions, the news media and civil-society organizations. This can lead to political apathy, as some people come to feel it is impossible to know the truth or to have any positive influence on social reality.

Faced with this scenario, critical education takes on fundamental importance. Citizens need to develop the skills to verify sources, identify biases, recognize strategies of emotional manipulation and assess the quality of the information they consume. A society able to analyze critically the messages it receives is better prepared to confront the challenges of disinformation and to strengthen democratic participation.

By way of closing reflection, it is worth asking: How often do we verify information before sharing it? Are we capable of changing our minds when the evidence contradicts our beliefs? To what extent do our emotions shape our political and social decisions? In an age defined by an abundance of information, the real challenge may not be gaining access to the data, but developing the ability to tell apart what is true from what we simply want to believe, even when reality says otherwise.

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Aparici, R., & García Marín, D. (2019). La posverdad: Una cartografía de los medios, las redes y la política. Gedisa.

McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-Truth. MIT Press.