Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 304
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-5381-4408-4 • Hardback • April 2022 • $30.00 • (£22.99)
978-1-5381-4409-1 • eBook • April 2022 • $28.50 • (£21.99)
Donald Barclay is the Deputy University Librarian at the University of California, Merced. He has authored numerous articles and books over the course of his career on topics ranging from the literature of the American West, to children’s literature, to library and information science. His most recent book, Fake News, Propaganda, and Plain Old Lies: How to Find Trustworthy Information in the Digital Age, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018. He currently live in Merced , California.
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter 1: The Meaning of Truth in the Post-Truth Culture
Chapter 2: The Science of the Mind and the Post-Truth Culture
Chapter 3: Digital Utopias Lost: Conflicting How the Dreams from the Dawn of Cyberspace Diverged
Chapter 4: As We May Come to Think: How Technology Changes Way We Think
Chapter 5: Propaganda: The Good, the Bad, and the Persuasive
Chapter 6: Information Wants to Be Free–And Why It Is Not
Chapter 7: Conspiracy Theories in the Post-Truth Culture
Chapter 8: The Powerful Influence of Popular Culture–Amplified by Digital Technology–On the Post-Truth Culture.
About the Author
In this age of rampant disinformation, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to discern fact from fiction, truth from deception. But what is truth? Philosophers have been debating that for centuries. In order to address the contemporary issues modern society is facing, Barclay pulls out the tools of philosophy and epistemology to analyze and understand the use of disinformation for political, social, and economic purposes.
— Booklist
Donald Barclay beautifully adds a strong voice to the much-needed discourse on disinformation and living in a post-truth era. By combining solid, academic research with a clear and concise writing style, Barclay delivers a great, accessible book that is an absolute must-read for everyone.
— Marci Mazzarotto, assistant professor and program coordinator, Digital Communication, Department of Communication, Graphic Design and Multimedia, Georgian Court University
Barclay approaches the post-truth landscape by looking deeply across the humanities, technology, and popular culture. He offers a clear-eyed, practical perspective to clearing out the confusion about the epistemic crisis we face today. This book is a refreshing and optimistic antidote to the surfeit of superficiality and fear-mongering that is capitalizing our public fascination with the disinformation industry.
— Renee Hobbs, Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island