The more something connects us with indignation, anger or distrust, the more filters and caution we must put in place. Not only democracy is at stake, but also our mental health
“What has done the most damage to us are the hoaxes.” This is what one of the residents of the areas affected by DANA says. While I read this I see several unpresentable people with millions of followers disguised as war reporters spreading hoaxes with their bare faces. Telling lies about whether people’s donations are being thrown away or putting organizations like Cáritas or the Red Cross under suspicion while the only truth is that they put their boots on the line. Indeed, the boots are being put on, they are being lined with lies full of bad faith and alarmism. Notoriety, likes, advertising, extra income and having, directly or indirectly, the wealthy blessing of the extreme right.
Whether for sadistic amusement or ideology, the effect is the same: they emotionally destabilize those who watch their videos, read their posts, click on their profiles. Irritate, depress, vomit hate, deform reality, inoculate skepticism, machismo, racism… In short, intoxicate to zombie, as if we were part of their game of Minecraft. Weaken ourselves and weaken democracy. Those, not all, in their economic and social comfort zone, from their gaming chairs or throwing themselves on the floor to get mud on themselves, put many filters on it to appear truthful and spread unverified content, with total impunity.
The responsibility they have for these hoaxes or lies slips away from them because at the end of the day you are responsible, we are the ones who watch their videos in amazement. For them, who go through everything, the responsibility and the fault is ours and the merit, theirs, is the success of being viral and having the support of an extreme right that enjoys seeing an increasingly dystocic reality that makes them feel strong among the weak.
The influencers who mock the truth are the smart ones and we are the fools. In their high-priced, maximum-benefit logic, why are they going to contrast the veracity of what they disseminate? Their business would end, they would be nobody. The arduous task of verifying is left to us. Sometimes it even seems like they have a great time playing cat and mouse, they launch a crazy hoax and behind it we all go to share it or deny it, to fight among ourselves. The danger is that we face each other because, unfortunately, there are people who believe them. Marta Borraz explains it well in her report for this medium: “In the face of a crisis like the current one” there is a very relevant human need, which is to “know what is happening and give it meaning.” ”And when there is no information or it is not immediate, alternative answers arise that do not matter if they are true or not, but they cover this space, they make us feel calmer and believe that we are apparently knowing what is happening.”
This Thursday, in a conversation with good men and knowledge proven by their professional careers, I heard that politicians and the media are out of touch with reality. That the way to get information is through Tik Tok and other social networks. My response was immediate: the “(mis)information” about the 700 deaths in the Bonaire parking lot or the non-deployment of the UME or the various dams that were going to burst, (and the list is endless) has originated on the networks. and spread by influencers. Who are the ones who are really out of reality? Unless by reality we are referring to a reality that does not exist or is deformed.
Those who take journalism seriously as a public service know well that news cannot be published without checking it with at least three sources. And three sources are not three people who stop to talk to us and tell us their vision of reality. Three sources are not three pseudo-digital media whose signatures would not pass a truth machine test.
It would seem unusual to us that a trial would be held by a subject who only needed to put on a toga, or that a surgery would be performed by an individual who only had to open his hands before making an incision on a human body. It would seem like a scam for our daughters and sons to be taught by someone who doesn’t know how to read or write. We wouldn’t like someone who doesn’t know how to drive to take us in a taxi…
It’s not about distrusting everything and everyone. At this time, when it is a fact that high amounts of hoaxes and fake news are circulating, it is a matter of contrasting the information we receive or checking how the person who spreads it or the media that endorses it or the website where it is located has achieved its notoriety and popularity. hanging Be wary of extremely emotional headlines that make your heart skip a beat or those that contain value judgments and determine what you should think about someone or something. That is not information or informative. Breathe and reflect for ourselves, and before sharing, check, no matter how much the demons drive us or we feel the need to do something. The more we connect with indignation, anger or distrust, the more filters and caution we must put in place. Not only democracy is at stake, but also our mental health. Let’s be smart, let’s take care of her.
#smart #influencers #stupid #rest
