Interrogating Post-truth Politics From the Perspectives of Speed and Technology in the Age of Global Pandemic Through Paul Virilio’s Dromology

Conference: The Asian Undergraduate Research Symposium (AURS2021)
Title: Interrogating Post-truth Politics From the Perspectives of Speed and Technology in the Age of Global Pandemic Through Paul Virilio’s Dromology
Stream: Political Science: Administration, Governance and Finance
Presentation Type: Virtual Poster Presentation
Authors:
Yuting He, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China

Abstract:

The spectre of post-truth politics haunts the globe, particularly in an era of the global pandemic when the threat of the invisible coronavirus renders fear, panic and insecurity. This paper considers the covid-19 pandemic as an example of dromology, when physical movements are limited and ICTs play significant roles in shaping people’s perceptions. Considering the post-truth phenomena including distrust, fragmentation and xenophobia, this paper will start with a Foucauldian ‘knowledge-power’ paradigm of truth. This paper will critically examine the nuances of attributing post-truth politics to postmodernism, and argues that the Foucauldian account of post-truth meets its erosion under the current age of mass media. This paper will introduce Paul Virilio’s thesis of dromology and argues that a Virilian ‘moving-power’ paradigm is more effective in interpreting the post-truth politics during the global pandemic. Virilio argues that politics was driven by the need for security, which centres on speed and assisted by the invention of technologies to speed. Given that who has the access to speed will have the power, the current democratization of power happens when information and communication technologies (ICTs) are widely used by people. Thus the ‘synchronization of affect’ through mass media emerges and causes the ‘democracy of emotions’. The former politics that consist of opinions has been changed to responses to emotion, resulting in the post-truth chaos.




Virtual Poster Presentation


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