Faktoid i mistyfikacja w nowych mediach, czyli o strategiach czarowania umysłu

Abstract

The author reflects upon the manner in which narratives in new media are being legitimized as true representations of past events. He focuses especially on connotation, which is crucial for tacit legitimizations of various narratives. The role of connotation within such legitimizations can be clarified by means of the theory of magic. The mechanisms of reality construction are dicussed in the context of diverse genres of so-called churnalism, e.g. fake documentaries (mockumentaries). One of them is the film "Mermaids: The Body Found" (Sid Bennett, 2011) broadcast by Discovery and Animal Planet.