The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture "This is a pipe", I'd have been lying!
— René Magritte
The Fight against Fake
I used to be a relatively gullible guy. For me, that changed in 2009. While I was studying in Manchester, I had a housemate with a couple of really strong personal stories. The strongest one was that he was a direct relative of one of the 10 richest men in the world. Or was it that he learned to speak fluent Dutch in just one semester at an Ivy League University through the help of a fellow student? To the blind eye, it seemed unreal, but not completely inconceivable. At least not in my eyes, or those of my German housemate. In the end, things got weird and the two of us started digging deeper. We learned that the stories that he told us were mainly fictional, that he had lived in the Netherland before moving to the UK, that he had created a fake Wikipedia page for himself (which had already been deleted by fact checkers) and that our landlord was correct to state that it was a con. The actual realization that we had been conned came a little later when my housemate and I found out we had both lended him money, based on similar stories, which while with a bit of caution, did leave our bank accounts and never came back.
Ever since, I became a lot more hesitant to believe every story. Unfortunately, in the informational age, we get overwhelmed with information and it sometime becomes hard to grasp what is real and what isn't. Take the story of Hasnah Mohamed Meselmani, who started crying crystal tears at the age of 12 back in 1996. News at the time stated that medical experts were baffled by the crystal tears coming out of her eyes. While this story has long been debunked by Joe Nickell and has been listed as a hoax and/or prank, many child miracle videos still feature this story as one of world mysteries and multiple online sources stil view the story as a true miracle.
Differentiating between real and fake has become increasingly more difficult. In a TEDx Talk by Philip Fernbach 'Why do we believe things that aren't true?' he explains why it is so hard letting go from theories and truths that you hold close to you and you believe in. He states that we currently live in a world of increasing Science denial, but also that calling someone stupid just won't be a solution to the problem we are facing.
One of the key messages of his talk is that ...
As an individual. We don't know enough to justify almost anything we believe.
As he explains, our brain can only store about 1 GB and we rely on working with others to share knowledge about topics we don't know much about.
There are still however other factors to take into consideration to understand why fake news keeps winning interest from crowds. Take the field of magic and illusions, where the likes of David Blaine, Victor Mids and Shin Lim have blown my mind many times. While it is clear that methods are being used to cause an illusion of effect, it can still appear to be unreal. Magic has been getting its own space online and watching Pen & Teller and Chris Ramsey has taught me a couple of things: Things are not always as they seem and the mind likes to be misled. To extend this issue, much of our thought process is currently being influenced by the media, both on and offline. So, when politics come in, objective statements become something of rarity and as sides become more polarizing (as both sides constantly work on theories the support their claims, while opposing those of others), it becomes increasingly more difficult to find common ground. This sometimes even leads to political campaign managers using magic tricks and deceptive techniques to improve their odds of their client getting more votes. And yes, I'm indirectly referring to spin doctors.
In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through knowingly providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to influence public opinion about some organization or public figure. Wikipedia
While some theories and stories are clearly false, other reasons why people find their refuge in fake facts is disappointment of/and previous mistakes made by renowned sources. Sometimes certain parts of history which are most common to our believes are being tested because of new information, in other cases similar cases are dismissed because arguments aren't thought true well enough and scientific evidence is lacking. But as Fernbach stated, we often don't know enough to make a definite statement that is not subject to future change.
We also often lack empathy for the other side, whether it is a discussion on the aftermath of Slavery, the difference between Eastern and Western philosophy or Black Pete's role in the Dutch Saint Nicholas tradition. And when we finally do, we start realizing that the situation becomes ever more complex. And the is where the Dunning-Kruger.
[ The Dunning-Kruger Effest - Wikimedia Commons ]
When looking the concept of the Duning-Kruger Effect is becomes clear that those on Mount Stupid are more likely to share their opinion than those in the Valley of Despair or on the Slop of Enlightenment, even though they are way less competent to comment on the issue. The confidence level however is so high, even those with actual knowledge on the subject decide to stay away from the discussion, leading to even more incomplete and incorrect statements spreading all over Social Media.
A lack of actual depth on topics has often been very present on Social Media. It can also be somewhat logically explained as especially the newer platforms tend to focus on short form content, which doesn't really allow much room to elaborate on the topic. Pseudo Profound Nonsense has become a real big part of youngster's drive towards succes. However, motivational quotes and investment tips without proper context seem nice and understandable, but give the impression that successful life is just a three step plan which can be achieved with ease.
[...to be continued...]
About Social Media in Suriname
This story is part 30 of my #Maynia goal to write a book in the month of May. The topics I'll be writing about from May 1st until May 31st, 2020:
(Want to read them all? The chapters will become clickable as the month progresses. Please note that I'm not always writing in chronological order, so check all 31 te see which are clickable)
The history of the Internet according to the Internet
1 - Predicting the Future
2 - The origin of the online community:
3 - The birth of the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web
4 - Endless opportunities
5 - For education and entertainment
6 - Social Media before Social Media
The Rise of Web 2.0
7 - In Search of the first online Empire
8 - User Generated Content
9 - Let’s Get Connected
The Golden Generation
10 - From friends and relatives to personal interest
11 - The birth of the like button
12 - Being number 1
The Battle for the internet
13 - Socialnomics and the fight for online supremacy
14 - The features and takeovers that shaped the landscape
15 - It’s more than just Social
The Mainstream and The Alternatives
16 - The rise of the creator and the influencer
17 - The comeback of traditional media
18 - The age of information overload
The Marketeer and the Community
19 - Can’t we all have a little fun?
20 - Is age really just a number
21 - The Dangers of Dopamine and Instant Gratification
Suriname: From Dail Up to Tik Tok
22 - Getting connected
23 - Before Facebook Conquered the World
24 - The Growth of Social Media minded Suriname
25 - The Rise of Social Media Entertainment
26 - Twisting The Rules
27 - Free Facebook
28 - The diversification of Social Media
29 - From Brand Ambassadors to Social Media Influencers
30 - The Fight against Fake
The Recap
31 - What’s next?
Maynia Log
Learn more about Maynia by reading about it here.
Today's word count: 1.101
Total word count: 1.826
Daily review:
Had to change up my schedule because I had a online session with a local Rotaract group until 10 PM local time. Luckily part of the presentation was about dealing with the fake on Social Media, so I had some input already. Wanted to write more, but I think my brain has decided it is enough for today.
Daily question:
This month I'll post a daily question on which you can comment. Everyday I will give away a Hive SBI to my favorite. 😉
Today's question:
What is your favorite conspiracy theory?
Sources:
http://www.hoaxorfact.com/pranks/12-year-old-girl-cries-crystals.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(propaganda)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day#Opposition_to_Columbus_celebrations
