Class struggle in the post-truth era: Health disinformation as a political tool

Abstract

Disinformation is configured as a phenomenon inherent to contemporary social forms, intensified by the logic of post-truth, in which emotions and beliefs override objective facts. In this context, it operates as a mechanism of affective and ideological domination, reinforcing the interests of the ruling class and naturalizing inequalities. This article presents a scoping review grounded in historical-dialectical materialism, articulating the concepts of ideology, hegemony, class struggle, health-related disinformation, and information literacy, based on Marx, Engels, Gramsci, Saviani, Žižek, and scholars in collective health. The study analyzes how the literature addresses the relationships between disinformation, post-truth, and ideology in the field of health, highlighting implications for critical training and the information literacy of health professionals. The findings indicate that disinformation, whether intentional or not, influences care practices, therapeutic decisions, and public policies, contributing to processes of alienation and the deepening of social contradictions. In this sense, critical training guided by historical-critical pedagogy emerges as a strategy of resistance, fostering an active reading of reality and strengthening collective consciousness. It is concluded that confronting disinformation requires recognizing its political and material dimensions, articulating educational practices and public policies committed to social emancipation and health justice.