There’s plenty of talk these days about the degraded state of social media. What was once hoped to be the realization of a worldwide open communication system for the benefit of all has become corrupted by profit-seeking, criminal intent, and ideological excess. The quest for clicks has replaced common sense and broken the link between the presenter’s subject-matter knowledge and the presentation itself. Posting strategy and eyeball attraction are more valuable than content.
A recent example of the profit motive at work is the tragic aviation accident in Louisville. The pilots lost control after their airplane suffered a catastrophic failure of one engine and the loss of thrust on another, making the crash inevitable.
Immediately after the accident, there was the usual flurry of photos and dialogue about what happened. Some of the images were AI-generated or depicted a different accident. One post was titled, “The three words the pilot said tell us everything.” The NTSB has not finished analyzing the cockpit voice record, and when their analysis is complete, they will release a transcript. No one could know what the pilots said.
Many qualified pilots have YouTube channels where they discuss aviation accidents, so we don’t need unqualified people posting to exploit a newsworthy event to gain clicks. Unfortunately, the readers of these posts don’t seem to care about the truth, since they have given hundreds of “thumbs up.”
The shiny object has now superseded public interest in acquiring knowledge. People look at their phones all day searching for stimulation. Like the dopamine rush from eating carbohydrates, there is a similar high from visual stimulation.
Dopamine is released when the brain encounters something novel, rewarding, emotionally exciting, or associated with learning or anticipation. The brain interprets these stimuli as potential rewards, important information, opportunities for education, or signals that something interesting is happening. Posters know this, so they frame their content in a stimulating way.
Shorts and reels are especially popular because they condense the content and eliminate all boredom. The whole video is “shiny.”
The cargo plane crash fake reporting is cruel and unfortunate, but it doesn’t come close to the fakery that causes serious harm. These take the form of counterfeit “miracle cures,” investment claims, scams, and fake documentaries. This content is designed to attract the uneducated viewer and direct them to action. Often, they are pulled into the content by some visual or verbal trick.
I often hear young people say they don’t know what is true or how to find the truth. The problem of finding the truth has existed since human beings have been organized in societies. There have always been people who tout products or ideas to make money.
During the Roman Republic, patricians (the elite class) were prohibited from owning or working in commercial business because salesmen were considered liars, and association with them was considered beneath elite standing.
During the Patient Medicine Era, between 1880 and 1910, miracle tonics were sold at carnivals. They claimed to heal many diseases, but had essentially no therapeutic value. Later, television became the primary advertising medium for Americans in the 1950s. Miracle cures were touted along with cars, food, and beer.
People who are old enough remember Walter Cronkite, who was the anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981. If Walter reported it, it must be true. Trusting your news source was an effective shortcut to doing research in those days, but that was before TV news became politicized.
So what is the answer to finding the truth? Social media can never be rehabilitated, so it’s up to individuals to police themselves. People have to wean themselves off the shiny-object lifestyle, which offers instant gratification. Keep the phone in another room for part of the day. Sitting and looking at your phone is like eating candy. Do something else, be active, move your body, and exercise. Exercise also produces Dopamine, but in a much more beneficial way.
Secondly, find the truth from sources you trust, mainly your family and friends. These are people who care about your well-being. The exploiters on social media do not. Finding objective content in our tribal society is challenging, so you have to look for sources you trust on each side and compare them. The truth is somewhere in between. Communicating with the world online is a trap because there are equal numbers of good people and bad actors. Part of the day should be spent interacting with other people in person. That’s what we were designed to do.
Some people don’t care about the truth because the shiny-object drive is more important to them. They participate, looking for a dopamine high, just like the millions who take cocaine.
Wrong Speak is a free-expression platform that allows varying viewpoints. All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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