The Future Arrives On Flight 11: 9/11, the Crisis of Meaning, and Disinformation in the 21st Century
DOI
10.22191/BUUJ/10/1/9
Faculty Sponsor
Sidney Dement
Abstract
Peter Pomerantsev has argued that, because the Soviet Union lost the Cold War, Russia had to adapt to a new epistemological world – a new way of knowing – more quickly than the “West;” He posits the fall of the Soviet Union as a defining moment in the development of disinformation as it is today. In this paper, the author builds on Pomerantsev’s argument to explore the idea that 9/11 triggered a similar epistemic shift in American society and that the ensuing traumas created a crisis of meaning that helps to explain the prevalence of disinformation in contemporary American discourse. Furthermore, I posit two responses to 9/11 that are symptomatic of the crisis of meaning: the “war on terror” narrative, and the 9/11 Truth conspiracy movement. I explain how these are epistemically harmful, and open the door for epistemic wrongs, e.g., disinformation.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, J. A. (2025). The Future Arrives On Flight 11: 9/11, the Crisis of Meaning, and Disinformation in the 21st Century. Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.22191/BUUJ/10/1/9
