The Ubiquitous Nature of "Post-Truth" in the Twenty-First Century

In the twenty-first century there is a distinct gap between reality and what people perceive. This gap allows room for society to have moved past truth into the idea of "post-truth." This essay discusses what constitutes post-truth and what ideas and causations construct our post-truth society. The idea of an unidentifiable truth was predicted by many theorists before the twenty-first century. Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, James Ball and Jean Baudrillard all understand a separation between reality and what we experience and see. The effect that cinema has on this separation is clear in several different theories and theorist's proposal. Modern and past theories have been posited on this subject and are touched upon in this essay. Such as the "Rashomon Effect," the "misinformation ecosystem" "fake news" and the "precession of simulacra." Theorists such as Bell Hooks and Laura Mulvey add weight to this conversation by emphasizing the grave effect film can have. Both Hooks and Mulvey posit theories that society can be shifted and progressed through film. "The Ubiquitous Nature of Post-Truth in the Twenty-First Century" discusses these different theories and their effect on the modern times.