<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD JATS (Z39.96) Journal Publishing DTD v1.2d1 20170631//EN" "JATS-journalpublishing1.dtd"> <ArticleSet> <Article> <Journal> <PublisherName>ejsss</PublisherName> <JournalTitle>ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES</JournalTitle> <PISSN/> <EISSN/> <Volume-Issue>Volume 2, Issue 2</Volume-Issue> <PartNumber/> <IssueTopic>Multidisciplinary</IssueTopic> <IssueLanguage>English</IssueLanguage> <Season>Aug-Sep 2021</Season> <SpecialIssue>N</SpecialIssue> <SupplementaryIssue>N</SupplementaryIssue> <IssueOA>Y</IssueOA> <PubDate> <Year>2021</Year> <Month>09</Month> <Day>20</Day> </PubDate> <ArticleType>Sociology</ArticleType> <ArticleTitle>Social Media and the Question of Truth: A Sociological Study of Fake News in India in Pandemic Times</ArticleTitle> <SubTitle/> <ArticleLanguage>English</ArticleLanguage> <ArticleOA>Y</ArticleOA> <FirstPage>178</FirstPage> <LastPage>192</LastPage> <AuthorList> <Author> <FirstName>Adrija</FirstName> <LastName>Bose</LastName> <AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage> <Affiliation/> <CorrespondingAuthor>N</CorrespondingAuthor> <ORCID/> </Author> </AuthorList> <DOI>10.47362/EJSSS.2021.2209</DOI> <Abstract>One of the widely discussed issues regarding social media today is the fake news. With the Covid-19 crisis forcing people to stay indoors, social media emerged as a platform for information database for politicians, policy makers, health practitioners and citizens alike. Recent evidences show there has been rampant spread of news which are unverified and spurious concerning public health, leading to severe social-political debates. The main objective is to see the linkages between fake news and social behavior on social media and its sociological consequences. The aim of my paper is to look at the question of fake news in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis in consideration to how it is being used to spread alternative facts, majority of which are unverified. My research question is- have we reached a time where alternative facts are existing in the information environment and whether it impacts the socio-political dynamics in our country. This paper will try to uncover the patterns of fake news, majorly the relationship between social media, truth and social behavior. Methodologically I will try to look into why people believe and share unverified information. This will help me conclude whether the country is heading towards a post-truth era.</Abstract> <AbstractLanguage>English</AbstractLanguage> <Keywords>Coronavirus, Social Media, Fake News, Post-Truth, Social Behavior, India, Alternative Facts.</Keywords> <URLs> <Abstract>https://www.ejsss.net.in/ubijournal-v1copy/journals/abstract.php?article_id=13282&title=Social Media and the Question of Truth: A Sociological Study of Fake News in India in Pandemic Times</Abstract> </URLs> <References> <ReferencesarticleTitle>References</ReferencesarticleTitle> <ReferencesfirstPage>16</ReferencesfirstPage> <ReferenceslastPage>19</ReferenceslastPage> <References>Ball, J. (2017). Post-truth: How bullshit conquered the world. Biteback Publishing. Bharali, B. and;. (2010). Fake news: Credibility, cultivation syndrome and the new age media. Media Watch, 118-130. Fondren, E. (2019). Fake News, Propaganda, And Plain Old Lies: How to Find Trustworthy Information in the Digital Age. Taylor and Francis. Greifeneder, R. J. (2021). The Psychology of Fake News: Accepting, Correcting and Sharing Misinformation. New York: Routledge. Herman, E. S. (2010). Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. . Random House. Pennycook, G. and;. (2021). The psychology of fake news. Trends in cognitive sciences. Posetti, J. and;. (2017). A short guide to the history of’fake news’ and disinformation. . International Center for Journalists, 1-19. Sharma, P. and;. (2020). Indian media coverage of Nizamuddin Markaz event during COVID?19 pandemic. Asian Politics and Policy. Shirky, C. (2011). The political power of social media: Technology, the public sphere, and political change. Foreign Affairs, 28-41. Urban, W. (1944). The dialectic of meaning and truth: truth as immanent in discourse. . Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 377-400.</References> </References> </Journal> </Article> </ArticleSet>