Chapter Eight: Audiences, Trust and Polarisation in a Post-truth Media Ecology

The principles of rationality, electoral accountability, and access to credible and accurate information have long been treated as central tenets of liberal democracy (Jamieson, 2015). Although the reality of an engaged and knowledgeable public sphere remains the subject of much debate and derision, the ideal of an informed electorate is ultimately what sets democracy apart from other political systems (Karpf, 2019). In a truly democratic and fully enfranchised society, each citizen is, in theory, equipped with the capacity to partake in the electoral process by casting a vote as an informed member of society (Lau & Redlawsk, 2001). This, however, requires each individual to demonstrate an equitable level of motivation to seek accurate political information and exercise the right to vote (Austin & Pinkleton, 1999). Without engaging with reliable information about the political, cultural economic and social framings of their country, region or the world, however, it is less unclear if voters can be expected to make a genuinely informed decision at the ballot box.