What does it really mean to trust what you see or think you see in 2024? Fake videos, manipulated news, omnipresent polarisation in political discussions - the list of content and worrying developments could go on and on. And what is the result? All this information adds up because both sides, who should actually be exchanging their opinions, no matter how controversial, are no longer communicating with each other. Differences are simply no longer debated. Instead, anything that is not automatically agreed with is labelled a lie or misinformation. However, we have set ourselves the task of finding a way forward, i.e. a solution to the faltering dialogue.
Create a checklist
In this short article, we want to show you a framework that you can use to find out whether what you see is actually trustworthy or not. The idea is that in a world where tribalism and factionalism are increasingly dominant, you can keep your mind open so that you are able to come to a balanced and reasoned conclusion.
Keeping the difference between disagreements and lies in mind
Having considered the nature of the source, the nature of the content, the range of voices and the role of content categorisation, we need to remind ourselves what it means to be an empowered consumer of information.
In today's highly charged and polarised world, the difference between disagreement and lies has never been more blurred. We all need to remember that the person we are talking to, watching or listening to knows something that we do not currently know. We may still disagree with what is being argued for even if we had access to all their information, but to reject everything new they bring to the table without scrutiny is to turn away from the possible truth.
At best, this leads to an argument about who is actually spreading the truth, and at worst, it closes you off to the gradual self-correction that is essential for progress. If you assume that the person you are talking to knows something that you don't, you can keep an open mind and listen to them. Take your time and listen to what the person has to say and then consider how you can refute it or whether you need to change your way of thinking.
Being able to rely on what you see on the internet has always been important, but in 2024 it's never been more difficult. For example, if you want to check what a politician said at a conference, if you want to look up a car's maintenance history or if you want to find an online casino that you can trust, such as https://richardcasino-online.com/, all you have to do is search for the right term. The purpose of this article is to give you a framework that will allow you to recognise the common thread when inaccurate and misleading information is published.
Make the use of this process an internalised and self-reflective response and then open your mind to a wealth of new and important information.
In search of the truth
The first thing we need to consider and critically look at is the type of source we are consuming. One of the problems of the so-called "post-truth era" is that anything that is considered "mainstream" is automatically rejected because it is assumed to be scripted and to follow predetermined agendas. Even if every news source has its own line, biases and motivations, it's a slippery slope to ban everything from the mainstream and only trust user-generated content. After all, isn't it true that an individual can also have their own interests and prejudices? Of course they do, and that's why we need to start our search for the truth on an objective basis.
If we think about the media we consume and why each piece of content is structured the way it is, a whole series of insights emerge. We need to think about who we trust more: A video that was recorded in real time or a post that was written two days later. Before deep fake videos emerged, this question was easy to answer - 99% of us would choose the video as the more trustworthy source - but what do we do now? We need to look at it from multiple angles...
Consider different views and arguments
Are we seeing something that has been reported by multiple sources and media outlets, or is it so-called "clickbait" spun from a single post or image? If 100 people think something is right, it doesn't mean it is automatically right, but it does show that there is a widespread opinion. However, since opinions never match perfectly from one person to the next, it's important to pay attention to differences of opinion within the ranks.
As a species, we are never one hundred per cent in agreement unless what we are shown is some sort of concerted attempt to sway opinion. If you look for a natural dispersion of opinion and strength of feeling, you can get an idea of whether what you're seeing is real or fake. When in doubt, look for a credible source or simply withhold judgement until you find one.
Understand why you are being shown something
The biggest stumbling block that the digital age has put in its own way is the echo chamber. Gone are the days when we thought we had access to all opinions at all times and that human discourse would lead to some kind of highly considered, nuanced and balanced judgement. Today, it's all about clicks and traffic.
What does that mean? It means that if you are constantly searching for a particular view on a topic, search engines and social feeds will try to show you more content that matches that topic. In short, the internet you see is very different from the internet I see. Let's take a simple example.
I worry about the rise of hooliganism in football stadiums around the world - whether it actually occurs is irrelevant, I just worry about it. You, on the other hand, are a lifelong football fan who has realised the benefits of the game. I get to see more content about riots and violence, while you get to see more feel-good content about personal growth and the power of the game to bring about change.
