Post-truth and media system. An analysis from the postulates of the General Systems Theory (GST)

Authors

  • Plácido Moreno-Felices Universidad CEU San Pablo
  • Belén Puebla-Martínez Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
  • Roberto Gelado-Marcos Universidad CEU San Pablo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17561/rae.v20.25

Keywords:

Systems Theory, Post-truth, Globalism, Entropy

Abstract

This work offers a review of the comparative analysis of media systems proposed by Hallin and Mancini (2004-2017). In line with one of the hypotheses proposed by these authors, the structuring idea of the work is established: Old and new media, digital content platforms and social networks, the disinformation industry and the big Internet players are constituted as the new order for the media system, that would discontinue the previous dominant liberal/commercial traditional model. An "open supra system" whose scope is the “meta medium” of the social network; hosted and influenced by global technology companies capable of interfering in the contemporary social system and facilitating the diffusion of a toxic atmosphere of post-truth as a result of postmodernism.

To articulate the idea, we proceed to a free interpretation from the postulates of the General Systems Theory of Bertalanffy (1968). This work reveals systemic imbalances due to polarization, the phenomenon of disinformation, and glimpses a sophisticated manifestation of social control in which the social network merges with, subdues, and presumably, devours the social system with unpredictable consequences. This work proposes a graphic interpretation of the post-truth phenomenon as a "toxic atmosphere" from the perspective of the classical systemic studies, together with suggestions for improvement actions.

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Published

2021-01-25

How to Cite

Moreno-Felices, P., Puebla-Martínez, B., & Gelado-Marcos, R. (2021). Post-truth and media system. An analysis from the postulates of the General Systems Theory (GST). Antropología Experimental, 20, 355-364. https://doi.org/10.17561/rae.v20.25