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diff --git a/content/why_segregated_society.rst b/content/why_segregated_society.rst index 2c6c295..7254f42 100644 --- a/content/why_segregated_society.rst +++ b/content/why_segregated_society.rst @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ :title: Why is our society so segregated? :date: 2016-08-16 23:12 -:modified: 2016-08-23 19:00 +:modified: 2016-09-11 22:16 :tags: society, segregation, Internet, politics, press :category: General :author: Wolfgang Wiedmeyer @@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ And this brings us to the next issue. You may think that a free press gives our There is another amplifying development: The mainstream media is more and more filling the void that religion has left in our secular world. It is important to stick to a certain message. The message should be short and broadcast by everybody in the same way, so we all have something to believe in and don't have to worry about the real complexity of the problems we are facing. Facts are not that important anymore and are ignored if they don't fit the narrative. Whoever is casting doubt at the current narrative, is called a conspiracy theorist, even if she or he is not even proposing a theory. This is in no way different than the propaganda during the Cold War. The "shooting the messenger" principle is also used frequently. Let's attack the bearer of the information if we don't like what he is telling us. Among others, Wikileaks published a huge amount of emails that shows corruption among the leaders of the Democratic Party and collusion with the Clinton campaign. The media rather speculates about the possibility that the data was originally obtained by people that work for Putin. Edward Snowden showed us widespread surveillance and illegal activity of the NSA and others. Let's rather talk about the theory that Snowden is an agent working for Putin. By the way, this childish Putin blaming also leads to less detailed reporting about issues inside and outside Russia that are caused by president Putin because he is already established as the personified evil. -This behavior of the media boosts the societal segregation. Everyone that keeps in line will have difficulties to form their own opinion due to lack of details and perspectives. Furthermore, she or he is encouraged to not worry and do something about our problems because there are already good people working on solving them. Everyone who comes to different conclusions and wants a discussion is alienated by the hostility. This leads to the many forms of radicalization we see today. People are breaking out of the bubble. But instead of trying to get a more complete world view, they seek a new bubble where everyone has their opinion and detests everyone else that doesn't have their opinion. They are just following the path of least resistance. +This behavior of the media boosts the societal segregation. Everyone that keeps in line will have difficulties to form their own opinion due to lack of details and perspectives. Furthermore, she or he is encouraged to not worry and do something about our problems because there are already good people working on solving them. Everyone who comes to different conclusions and wants a discussion is alienated by hostility. This leads to the many forms of radicalization we see today. People are breaking out of the bubble. But instead of trying to get a more complete world view, they seek a new bubble where everyone has their opinion and detests everyone else that doesn't have their opinion. They are just following the path of least resistance. -I hoped that the Internet would change something about this. In fact, the group of the well informed seems greater than ever and investigative journalists have numerous sources. Activists have it much easier to organize themselves. But it's also easier than ever to find someone that confirms the craziest claims and biggest lies. Sources are either not checked at all or in a very sloppy way. If someone we know and trust shares a story on social media, then it has to be true and we don't need to read more than the headline. So while the internet fosters knowledge and communication, it also helps to gather people in their own little radical groups and pushes us more apart. Maybe the Internet is just too complex or it still costs too much effort to do proper research on current topics? +I hoped that the Internet would change something about this. In fact, the group of the well informed seems greater than ever and investigative journalists have numerous sources. For activists it is much easier to organize themselves. But it's also easier than ever to find someone that confirms the craziest claims and biggest lies. Sources are either not checked at all or in a very sloppy way. If someone we know and trust shares a story on social media, then it has to be true and we don't need to read more than the headline. So while the internet fosters knowledge and communication, it also helps to gather people in their own little radical groups and pushes us more apart. Maybe the Internet is just too complex or it still costs too much effort to do proper research on current topics? -Maybe people need to be taught how to do the research itself and handle the vast amounts of different sources we have today. For sure, lack of time plays a role, too. Besides all the working and self-optimizing we have to do, there are not much time and mental resources left to follow up on what is going on. More political influence for everyone in the sense of direct democracy may also improve the situation, but only if everyone is well educated on the issues and seeks discourse. Otherwise, it will probably lead to more uninformed decisions, more frequent policy changes and more harm to everyone. +Maybe people need to be taught how to do the research itself and handle the vast amounts of different sources we have today. For sure, lack of time plays a role, too. Besides all the working and self-optimizing we have to do, there are not much time and mental resources left to follow up what is going on. More political influence for everyone in the sense of direct democracy may also improve the situation, but only if everyone is well educated on the issues and seeks discourse. Otherwise, it will probably lead to more uninformed decisions, more frequent policy changes and more harm to everyone. I'm not sure what exactly needs to be done. There are obviously more causes than politics and media. The situation is complex and I cannot come up with a simple solution that can be broadcast as a short message. |