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I don’t think many people working in tech understand the nature of the Internet when it comes to information. The cat is out of the bag and there is no returnin
by keiferski 6y ago
I don’t think many people working in tech understand the nature of the Internet when it comes to information. The cat is out of the bag and there is no returning to a world of universal “authoritative sources” (term used in the article.)
Framed historically, we are experiencing a similar situation to the invention of the printing press. All attempts to reel in “misinformation” by appealing to legacy media outlets are doomed to fail, precisely because these outlets have lost the trust they once had. I don’t see them regaining it in the near future, if at all.
Instead, the likely outcome is a constellation of reputation-based media sources. “Joe Brown is always honest, so I’ll see what he says in his podcast” is probably the future source of information for the average person. Fact checkers will never be anything other than a biased opinion of a particular institution, as been shown time and time again.
- noofen 6y agoHas anyone considered that the "rise of misinformation" and Qanon-type conspiracy discourse is just a symptom of elite and institutional decadence?
- keiferski 6y agoI haven’t really followed the Q-Anon thing well enough to know much about it, but it definitely does strike me as a consequence of institutional decadence. I’m not sure the content of the conspiracy is actually relevant. Most people want to trust the information they’re told, so the popularity of such things does seem like a symptom and not a cause.
- WalterGR 6y agoelite and institutional decadence What does that mean? I googled "institutional decadence" but am still not clear on the definition. Could you give some examples of elite and institutional decadence?
- keiferski 6y agoNot the OP, but this just refers to the gradual erosion of many institutions in American society. Universities, media, political structures, etc. have all lost the trust of the populace over the last ~30 years, if not longer. Whether this is from an actual lowering of standards or just an inevitable consequence of new media is a different question. I’d suggest reading works by a critic named John Simon for the former opinion.
- WalterGR 6y agoHmm... When I think of decadence I think of Marie Antoinette allegedly asking "Why don't they just eat cake?" Like, actual decadence. In this context is "decadence" being used as a loaded word? At university I never saw professors or administrators popping Cristal and making it rain hundos, for example. (Edit: For the record, I didn't downvote you. One can't downvote a comment one is responding to.)
- vharuck 6y ago"Decadence" actually has the same root as "decay." It just became synonymous with indulgence over time. Probably because a sign of social decay is when the elite have too much money and start splurging on ridiculous things.
- jandrese 6y agoI see that as a natural result of the constant propaganda campaign against inconvenient truths. Discredit experts at every turn so you can push your own narrative.
- keiferski 6y agoConstant propaganda by who? Where? And for the last 50-100 years? That sounds absurd and conspiratorial. As I said above, I think the loss of trust in expertise is probably just a natural consequence of the Internet, combined with very real actions by specific institutions. I used the example of the printing press because a similar situation happened with the Catholic Church.