The Loss of a Common World: Disinformation, Post-Truth and Democratic Instability

Abstract This research proposes an analytical model to investigate interdependencies and synergies between disinformation, post-truth, and democracy in the contemporary hyperconnected society, represented through a correlation diagram and feedback loops, developed based on specialized literature and Systems Thinking. Considering the interconnections between the key elements that determine the behavior of the system under investigation, challenges to democratic stability were identified and discussed, including personal data tracking; the formation of filter bubbles; the emergence of the disinformation industry; the enhancement of disinformation techniques; the persuasive use of technologies; the rise of denialism; the intensification of social tensions; increased polarization; the fragmentation of the public sphere; the delegitimization of traditional institutions; and the threat to privacy and individual autonomy. In order to intervene in this dynamic and shift the system's behavior towards the flourishing of democracy, transformative solutions were listed and grouped into containment, awareness, and empowerment actions. The research findings highlight the need to deepen the debate on the confluence of human rights, corporate crimes, and corporate political activity, based on a critical reflection about the socio-political role of organizations in the context of a hyperconnected and weakly regulated society operating transnationally.