Clare Martin’s discussion of “misinformation” – and the magnitude and influence of misinformation, has left me wondering. It will take quite awhile to work through this. It’s not that I was shocked by what she said. I was aware of misinformation in our world, but my enhanced awareness of the depth of negative influences has been difficult to come to terms with.
The misinformation campaigns of the big tobacco industry in the 70’s came with a high personal cost, with my father’s premature death from disease resulting from tobacco addiction. Misinformation about sustainable agricultural practices has led to degradation of soil – the essential skin of our planet. Misinformation through the greenwashing of big oil has huge implications for climate change. All are alive and well today through mainstream news media, social media, and government policy decisions.
Over the last two years, Covid misinformation has been evident, with governments saying one thing and other “experts” opposing, with each side adamant they are “right”. We saw this divide lived out in Canada a few months back, as the truckers convoy literally paralyzed our nation’s capital for weeks as protestors parked their large trucks blocking city streets, blew air horns for several hours a day, flew flags with crude messages, and harassed residents wearing masks. The stated reason for the protest was to oppose covid health regulations, including mask wearing, but in Canada health regulations are set by provincial, not federal governments. Ottawa does not make the health rules. Ultimately, the protest was deemed a national security threat, special measures were enacted to enable police to end the protest, and protest leaders were arrested. Was this in fact a protest to protect the freedoms of Canadians, or was it an attempt to overthrow the sitting government? What roles does misinformation play in creating such polarizing divides? How do we move beyond the reality that has been magnified throughout our time of covid – one person’s misinformation is another’s God given truth? How do we move to a place of respectful dialogue and a mutual working together?
Knowing people on both sides of the covid divide, I can clearly see the influence of social media in misinformation campaigns – not only through the effects of algorithms and echo chambers but also through Clare’s assertions that Russian troll farms fuel conflict in both directions. But misinformation is also alive and well through the mergers of mainstream media providers into a few, concentrated corporate entities with great influence over what stories become news and how those stories are told. How do we bridge divides resulting from these outside influences? How do we find truth? What are the effects of these divides on our collective souls, and how does that impact us moving forward?
In the end, I am left with more questions than answers.
1 comment
Jan, thanks for sharing. I also hold similar questions. I often ask, “how can we move forward when we can’t even agree on reality?” The task feels so daunting, and there’s no clear path forward. I wonder, in the midst of the COVID debates, did you experience any conversations with people “on the other side” that showed any small glimmers of mutual understanding or movement? If so, what were the factors that you think helped to cultivate space for that?