Social Media and Fake News in the Post-Truth Era: The Manipulation of Politics in the Election Process

Abstract

<jats:p>This article focuses on how virtual social networks affect socio-political life. The main theme of the article is how social networks such as Facebook and Twitter can direct voters’ electoral preferences, especially during election time, through the dissemination of manipulative content and fake news. The use of social media, which was initially thought to have a positive effect on democratization, has been extensively discussed in recent years as threat to democracy. Examples from the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, France, Brexit, Germany, the UK and Turkey will be used to illustrate the risks that social networks pose to democracy, especially during election periods.</jats:p>

Si̇yasi̇ Mani̇pülasyonun Si̇yasi̇ Bi̇gi̇ Salginina Dönüşme Ri̇ski̇: Z Kuşaği İçi̇n Önlemler

“…The extent to which individuals exhibit a propensity to absorb information without discerning between verifiable and unsubstantiated claims warrants scrutiny in this context. In the present era, there exists a viewpoint that emphasizes the prominence of perceptions over facts, suggesting that the dissemination of fraudulent content and manipulative endeavors can exert significant effect on a wide audience (Yerlikaya & Toker Aslan, 2020). This concept aligns with the thesis that political players deliberately employ bot and troll accounts to disseminate deceptive information and manipulate public sentiment (Metodieva, 2018).…”

Sosyal Medya Kullanım Motivasyonlarının Yalan Haber Paylaşımı Üzerindeki Etkileri: Konya’daki Üniversite Gençliği Araştırması

“…Post-truth hakikatin değerini yitirdiği bir döneme işaret etmektedir. Post-truth dünyası, algıların hakikatten daha önemli olduğu, her türlü manipülasyonun ve sahte içeriğin kolaylıkla geniş kitlelere yönlendirilebildiği bir dönemdir (Yerlikaya & Aslan, 2020).…”

An Analysis of Fake Narratives on Social Media during 2019 Indonesian Presidential Election

“…Pariser (2011) raised concern about the inevitable 'filter bubble' trap where technology determines people's online preferences i.e., information. This condition poses threat to democracy when people voice is driven by an actor with hidden political agenda who created manipulative populist and political discourses that are circulated and echoed by technology (Santoso et al, 2020;Yerlikaya, 2020).…”