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Abstract

This paper investigates post-truth politics and populism, in particular, media manipulation and the impact of social media on politics, as it currently exists. In a post-truth political culture, it is seen that, personal beliefs and emotional appeals commonly supersede objective fact and empirical evidence, the implications of which extend beyond democratic institutions, public trust, or the quality of political conversation. By utilizing case studies such as the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the Brexit referendum, or the actions of populist leaders Donald Trump and Narendra Modi, this research shows how populist actors are able to weaponized social media to create and dispense emotional-based narratives for their strategic advantage, while disregarding traditional fact-checking measures. The purposeful media manipulation also at times furthers political polarization, and erodes trusting relationships between journalism, democracy, and elections. The research also examines how politically analogous narratives at times signify a national decline in political and objective reasoning, disrupt state and international relations cohesiveness, and ultimately diminish a thoughtful and informed citizenry. Through a post-truth theoretical lens, the research looks at the reliance of populism on persona, emotive rhetoric, and a humanity based on conflict to destabilize.