The role of communication in a post-truth world
"Higher education institutions are facing a fierce campaign across the world that questions their value and significance. In Brazil, for instance, accusations against universities vary from ridiculous claims that they are ‘nests of Communists’ and ‘lawless places’ (where drugged, drunk, naked people party continuously) to more sophisticated assertions concerning their autonomy, management and activities.
This is not the first time that universities have been in such an uncomfortable position. Among the oldest institutions in society, they have actually resisted several attacks over the last millennium. However, the advent and increasing importance of social media, combined with the consolidation of the so-called ‘post-truth era’, have added a new element to the current wave of criticism, raising its potential impact to unprecedented levels. [...]"
Marcelo Knobel is rector of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and full professor at the Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute, Unicamp, Brazil. E-mail: knobel@ifi.unicamp.br. This article was first published in the current 100th edition of International Higher Education.
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