Overview
Why has punditry overtaken news, with so many media outlets pushing partisan agendas instead of information? Why do lies seem to linger so long in the cultural subconscious even after they've been thoroughly discredited? And why, when more people than ever before are documenting the truth with laptops and digital cameras, does fact-free spin and propaganda seem to work so well? Comedian Stephen Colbert's catchword truthiness captured something essential about our age: that people are now more comfortable with ideas that feel true, even if the evidence for those beliefs is thin. In a subtle and fascinating exploration, Farhad Manjoo explains what's powering this phenomenon. He explores how new technologies that give us control over what we see and read have caused reality to split across political and cultural lines, allowing opposing groups to subscribe not only to different opinions from each other but also different facts. In an age of talk radio, cable television, and the blog- and YouTube-addled internet universe, it is no longer necessary for any of us to confront notions that contradict what we know to be true. With brilliant insights from psychology, sociology, and economics, Manjoo explains how myths pushed by both partisans and marketers-whether about global warming, the war in Iraq, 9/11, or even the virtues of a certain candy bar-have attracted wide support in recent years. His characters include the Swift Boat veterans, Lou Dobbs, and conspiracy theorists of all varieties, all of whom prove that true matters less, now, than true enough.
Full Product Details
Author: Farhad Manjoo ,
Ray Porter
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Imprint: Blackstone Audiobooks
Edition: Library ed.
Dimensions:
Width: 17.00cm
, Height: 3.00cm
, Length: 15.70cm
Weight: 0.249kg
ISBN: 9781433253584
ISBN 10: 1433253585
Publication Date: 01 August 2008
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Awaiting stock
The supplier is currently out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out for you.
Reviews
A perceptive analysis of the status of truth in the digital age...Manjoo has produced an engaging, illustrative look at the dangers of living in an oversaturated media world. -- Publishers Weekly Narrator Ray Porter maintains a respectful, even tone in describing the examples that reflect both sides of the political aisle...Listeners will be alarmed by the influence of 'experts on the take' doling out what Manjoo calls 'amateur research.' -- AudioFile
Narrator Ray Porter maintains a respectful, even tone in describing the examples that reflect both sides of the political aisle...Listeners will be alarmed by the influence of 'experts on the take' doling out what Manjoo calls 'amateur research.' -- AudioFile A perceptive analysis of the status of truth in the digital age...Manjoo has produced an engaging, illustrative look at the dangers of living in an oversaturated media world. -- Publishers Weekly
Author Information
"Farhad Manjoo is a Senior Writer at Salon, covering politics, technology, science and pop culture. His article debunking the conspiracy theories around the 2004 presidential election (that Bush ""stole"" Ohio) was one of the most blogged about articles in all of 2006. Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier."
