Oddolni posteksperci. Działalność współczesnych "znachorów" w świecie postprawdy
Grassroots post-experts. The activity of contemporary "quacks" in the post-truth world

Summary/Abstract: The article addresses the functioning of contemporary internet creators promoting complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the context of post-truth theory. Starting from the assumption that the dominance of emotions and beliefs over facts fosters the popularity of such figures, the analysis focuses on the narratives and healing practices of contemporary Polish "quacks." The research covers the years 2019–2023 and is based on netnographic methodology, including social reading. The case study of Jerzy Zięba and Hubert Czerniak allows for capturing the mechanisms of credibility creation and the ways of depreciating medical knowledge. Analyzing the journal "Harmonia. Twoje zdrowie, Twoja odpowiedzialność" reveals the existence of an anti-medical discourse that promotes CAM and questions the effectiveness of conventional medicine. The article demonstrates how, under the conditions of post-truth, social media become spaces for the reproduction and legitimation of extra-institutional knowledge.

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