Unpacking emotional contexts of post-truth.

International Organisations and the Proliferation of Scientised Global Reporting, 1947–2019

“…While numbers are usually considered the basis of hard facts, reminiscent of hard science, their proliferation not only triggers calls for a more ethical discussion of their use but also their outright rejection or strategic manipulation by political, particularly populist, leaders (Hopf et al 2019;Wang and Huang 2021;Ylä-Anttila 2018). It will become much more difficult to separate fake science, pseudoscience and "alternative facts" from honest evidence if, overall, all sectors of the social and natural world are becoming quantified (Allcott and Gentzkow 2017;Barrera et al 2020;Dunlap and McCright 2010;Durnová 2019;Jasanoff and Simmet 2017;Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook 2017). As a consequence, for those not socialised in academic heuristics, the simplicity of political and populist rhetoric may still sound more convincing than the voice of reason.…”

“…In more extreme cases, they employ fake science and pseudoscience to undermine people's trust in data, information, and facts (Hopf et al 2019;Wang Huang 2021;Ylä-Anttila 2018). Climate change, vaccines, genetically modified food, evolutionary biology and 5G, among other topics, are not only battlefields in contemporary public discourses they also represent breeding grounds of "alternative facts" sometimes described as examples of a beginning "post-truth era" (Allcott and Gentzkow 2017;Barrera et al 2020;McCright and Dunlap 2011;Durnová 2019;Jasanoff and Simmet 2017;Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook 2017).…”

Emotions, affect and social policy: austerity and Children’s Centers in the UK

“…It seems clear that what may be longstanding circuits of feeling among populations have recently been expressed in particularly emotionally intense ways (Hoggett and Thompson 2012;Durnová 2019). The rise of forms of populist politics across the Global North, often associated with nationalism, has resulted in a rejection of both institutions (such as the European Union, and the 'Brexit' vote in the UK), and individuals associated with the political establishment (as evidenced in the 2016 US Presidential election).…”

Politicians “Stay Home”

“…Performed authenticity is not exclusive of populism, yet previous research conducted by Enli and Rosenberg (2018) suggests that populist leaders come across as more authentic and credible and use this strategy more often, and their posts are more popular -both in terms of social media impact and their amplification in the mainstream media. The affective turn in post-truth politics suggests that communicating in an authentic fashion is essential for building trust, as citizens' evaluation of truth partly comes from an emotional investment, and not just from objective facts (Boler 2018, Durnová 2019. Since populist leaders present themselves as the authentic representatives of the people in a context in which the traditional elite seems way too detached, it makes sense that they curate an authentic and familiar image that allows them to regain people's trust.…”