ABSTRACT
Cognitive biases that shape how individuals encounter and process information have recently been granted freer rein as a result of changes in the technological basis of media systems in the advanced democracies. In this chapter, the authors have sketched out a framework for understanding post-truth identities. They have argued that such identities rest on a confluence of cognitive biases, conspiracy mentalities, and systemic changes in media systems over the past decade that have generated new affordances for the production, circulation, and discovery of false and highly distorted beliefs. Future research might pay attention to how the convergence of cognitive biases and affordances the author outlines contributes to the spread of falsehoods and misrepresentations. The broadcast- and print-dominated media systems of the twentieth century displayed many biases and distortions caused by the demands of commercial competition and advertisers. Understanding how post-truth identities are formed and maintained will better equip societies to combat the spread of false and highly distorted beliefs.
