Beyond the Reel: The Search for Truth in a Post-Truth Age
Beyond the Reel: The Search for Truth in a Post-Truth Age
A wise person can justify anything. But should we trust everything we see?
We get most of our information from reels and short-form content. This raises an important question: should we trust them?
There’s always a chance that what we see isn’t completely accurate. These pieces of content are often edited and manipulated in ways that affect our thoughts. In this process, we slowly lose sight of the original truth because one video can alter our entire perspective.
Every creator may have their own agenda, bias, or selective version of the truth. Just because we live in a “post-truth” society doesn’t mean real truth doesn’t exist.
Take current events, such as protests or public issues; the impact becomes clearer. A reel can make us feel emotional, angry, supportive, or biased in just seconds. But should we really believe everything we see?
Today, false narratives and misleading content are everywhere. It’s not easy to grasp the truth anymore. In fact, we often forget to ask about the main issue or the real cause behind what’s happening.
Social media platforms are designed to influence our emotions easily. It’s possible that the reels we see are suggested to us because they align with our beliefs. This creates a cycle where we only see content that confirms what we already think, even if it’s misleading.
Before consuming any content, we should ask ourselves: do we want to see the truth, or do we just want to feel validated?
What if some creators are only trying to get views and build an audience that supports their narrative, whether it’s completely true or not? What if the goal is not awareness, but engagement?
The ultimate solution is not to stop using social media, but to learn more about the situation, verify our facts and figures, challenge our own assumptions, and choose to see the truth through different lenses.
So why not return to reading more credible sources, where accountability still exists?
If we genuinely care about society and the nation, can we afford to form opinions based on just one reel?
In the end, we are just one scroll away from believing something that may not be entirely true. And that is dangerous.
By, Renuka Gurung.
A student of BA Journalism and Mass Communication, Assam Royal Global University.
