N
And there we have the problem in one sentence: How do YOU know what propaganda is and what is not, which information is true and which is fake?
I can only do this very well in areas where I have my own expertise. I further claim that it can’t be any other way. So I ask myself every time where all the amateur war experts, amateur international lawyers, amateur virologists, amateur national coaches, and most recently also amateur physicists get all their profound knowledge from.
I know: They read blog posts instead of scientific articles. YT videos instead of raw data. Listen to lectures by people who themselves once heard something from someone who once heard something.
It simply can’t be done otherwise. No one has the time and skills to do raw data analysis in all relevant fields. You can either abstain from an opinion or look for sources that you find trustworthy.
Leads to the question of what one finds trustworthy?
Simple: What tells you what you have always thought anyway. Because you don’t even think anymore that you could be wrong. And then you’re in the bubble.
In an increasingly complex world, a reluctance to question oneself is more harmful than ever before, but instead of seeing it as a flaw, it is seen as strength of opinion, authenticity, “plain speaking.”
, YOU can’t know what here is spread by whom and why correctly or as fake. YOU simply always selectively include exactly the information that fits the puzzle you want to complete.
To some extent, we all do this. Humans can’t do otherwise.
Well written, I agree. For me personally I can say about the Ukraine war: I have far too little knowledge, I try to inform myself broadly but it is ultra complex how best to create peace for the population here. I am not sure which information is true where, war does not provide data.
Different with Corona. I have certainly spent 1000 hours gathering raw data from all countries, listened to many experts and evaluated things myself. I trust myself here to discuss very knowledgeably. Very very few can do that on this topic, but every Swabian housewife complains about it. One about the government, the other about corona deniers. Dangerous.
I was at many corona demonstrations. There I mostly met very nice people with values. When the next day I had to read hate and agitation in the Süddeutsche about exactly this demo, it became clear to me that something is massively going out of control here. So I dealt with our media intensively and for a long time. The insights would unsettle some people here too much, I have already had to experience that with the ÖRR-addicted preceding speaker ;)