Post by lordofshadow on Nov 12, 2016 21:27:09 GMT
I recently posted this on facebook as a response to some of the trends I was seeing from my friends, but I figured it was worth sharing here too - though you all seem less prone to falling into this trap than my facebook crowd, hah.
I'm seeing a lot of people sharing videos of violence, screencaps of people advocating for violence, racism, etc. It is almost always an attempt to paint a picture to push an argument.
I urge caution. These images are powerful and evocative and horrifying... and anecdotal.
In my social media bubble, these images are painting a picture of a nation of racists emboldened by Trump, a dark tide of repressed violence and prejudice overtaking us. In other bubbles, perhaps after Obama's election, similar images formed from selectively highlighted images could be found demonizing my own political party.
Powerful images magnified by social media are lenses that show a distorted view of the world. They are a tool to spread misinformation, knowingly or not. They paint a picture. Most of us aren't going to see the culture of more than a few square miles in a given day. The media is our window to the rest of the world. If we see nothing but images of racists going crazy all over the nation for the next few days, it creates a very scary worldview. But that worldview is rarely accurate. The media - and our friends on facebook - share the things that excite us, or scare us, or make them money. Things that are topical. Things that people will be riveted by, or want to hear, or let them feel self-righteous.
It is *entirely possible* that there is a huge upturn of prejudice and harassment and hate-crimes. I think it's likely, in fact. But I shouldn't indulge my own confirmation bias. It's also possible that there is little or no upturn, and the problems that have always been there are simply concentrated in front of our windows, a reflection of the fear that people are feeling.
Just... be cautious. This is the same dynamic that led conservatives to think the world was going to absolute hell the whole time Obama was in office, even though it was improving in most measurable ways. It's the same dynamic that makes many people think that violent crime is worse than ever, when violent crime has improved almost every year for the last 50 years. It's the same dynamic that makes people trust the 1% of scientists that deny global warming over the 99% that don't. In a nation this large, with this many cameras and this many ways to broadcast your thoughts, it is ALWAYS possible to paint whatever picture you want if you selectively choose which images to show. All you need to do is put that picture in front of people's window to the wider world.
Don't let your world view get distorted. Be vigilant. Consider the sources of your information, and WHY you are seeing them. Consider the picture you're painting when YOU share something.
Keep your windows clean.
I'm seeing a lot of people sharing videos of violence, screencaps of people advocating for violence, racism, etc. It is almost always an attempt to paint a picture to push an argument.
I urge caution. These images are powerful and evocative and horrifying... and anecdotal.
In my social media bubble, these images are painting a picture of a nation of racists emboldened by Trump, a dark tide of repressed violence and prejudice overtaking us. In other bubbles, perhaps after Obama's election, similar images formed from selectively highlighted images could be found demonizing my own political party.
Powerful images magnified by social media are lenses that show a distorted view of the world. They are a tool to spread misinformation, knowingly or not. They paint a picture. Most of us aren't going to see the culture of more than a few square miles in a given day. The media is our window to the rest of the world. If we see nothing but images of racists going crazy all over the nation for the next few days, it creates a very scary worldview. But that worldview is rarely accurate. The media - and our friends on facebook - share the things that excite us, or scare us, or make them money. Things that are topical. Things that people will be riveted by, or want to hear, or let them feel self-righteous.
It is *entirely possible* that there is a huge upturn of prejudice and harassment and hate-crimes. I think it's likely, in fact. But I shouldn't indulge my own confirmation bias. It's also possible that there is little or no upturn, and the problems that have always been there are simply concentrated in front of our windows, a reflection of the fear that people are feeling.
Just... be cautious. This is the same dynamic that led conservatives to think the world was going to absolute hell the whole time Obama was in office, even though it was improving in most measurable ways. It's the same dynamic that makes many people think that violent crime is worse than ever, when violent crime has improved almost every year for the last 50 years. It's the same dynamic that makes people trust the 1% of scientists that deny global warming over the 99% that don't. In a nation this large, with this many cameras and this many ways to broadcast your thoughts, it is ALWAYS possible to paint whatever picture you want if you selectively choose which images to show. All you need to do is put that picture in front of people's window to the wider world.
Don't let your world view get distorted. Be vigilant. Consider the sources of your information, and WHY you are seeing them. Consider the picture you're painting when YOU share something.
Keep your windows clean.