ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we consider the impact of rational language used to support irrational ideas – what does it mean, and what is its effect? For this, we turn to scholars of the so-called “Frankfurt School” who critically examined the role of reason in social, cultural, and political life. Additionally, we also consider the idea of “simulacrum,” in which simulation (social media) is the reality (the society), turning Marx's description of “base and superstructure” on its head. What once may have been considered the societal base with a networked superstructure now equals a social networked base, and the real society is the superstructure rooted in the network. We ask, what does this real society look like, and turn to the work of Nietzsche, particularly his idea of “ressentiment” as emotional reasoning and emotional jealousy over something. We find that the dialectics of reason and science may be applied more broadly to online discourse, while the negative dialectics of truth and post-truth better fit social media's super-users (those with a large number of followers, who are often central to social media networks).
