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Disinformation aside, let's just consider for a second that people may be simply consuming information that they want to hear, rather than taking in information

by 1-6 5y ago

Disinformation aside, let's just consider for a second that people may be simply consuming information that they want to hear, rather than taking in information that the media thinks or wants them to hear.

blinkingled 5y ago
Isn't it all the same really - people want to hear narratives that confirm their bias. Internet/modern communications makes it easy for media and politicians to both pick up on that and reach out to the right group of people with the targeted misinformation. People are too much in love with their beliefs - critical thinking problem.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
specialist 5y ago
My primary issue with public choice theory is omission of information asymmetry. How are consumers supposed to choose options which are not presented? See also the power of the default option.
silisili 5y ago
I'm not so sure it's specifically that always, maybe initially. Perhaps someone has a strong opinion about a thing. They -know- they are right, and every news source is wrong. Until they find one also right. So far, we agree, that's what they want to hear. But they keep turning to this source, who is spreading wild theories and untruths in other facets. But they were so right about issue X, they must be right about this too! I think this pretty much sums up why so many 'conservatives' ended up unvaccinated. I cannot imagine that they set out wanting to hear that vaccines are unsafe or will give you microchips. Something/someone they trusted led them down this awful path. As much as I support free speech, the last few years have really shown me the dangers of it, as well. But how can you regulate? Any arbiter is going to have a bias.
- ribs 5y ago
  I think it’s likely that ‘conservatives’ (and New Age enthusiasts, and others) wanted to hear anti-elitist messages, messages that discredited experts, which anti-vax messaging is congruent with.
  - Applejinx 5y ago
    Anti-vax messaging and riling folks up to gather in large, angry, infectiously yelling maskless groups is a really good way to leverage an unanticipated pandemic against the population of an enemy country, especially if you figure your own country can fight off the pandemic better… or you literally don't care about those who live in your own country as long as the enemy dies. As a bonus, you can then get the enemy country to think the pandemic is brought by immigrants, or was invented by its own internal enemies, as a way of pushing for civil war or at least continuous, aggrieved, domestic terrorism. The pandemic has all kinds of uses if you control the discourse and can find something to blame. It becomes a natural disaster or some kind of pervasive biological weapon that you don't even have to deploy… just foster and nurture.
TrispusAttucks 5y ago
You're probably correct. The problem I see is one "alternate reality" starts to censor another "alternate reality". It's just a new form of warfare. The war for control of your mind and the shaping of beliefs about reality. A world where truth isn't part of the information or power structure means that He which controls the narrative controls reality. Arguably more terrifying that some false options and beliefs in the world.

by 1-6 5y ago

blinkingled 5y ago

Isn't it all the same really - people want to hear narratives that confirm their bias. Internet/modern communications makes it easy for media and politicians to both pick up on that and reach out to the right group of people with the targeted misinformation. People are too much in love with their beliefs - critical thinking problem.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

specialist 5y ago

My primary issue with public choice theory is omission of information asymmetry. How are consumers supposed to choose options which are not presented? See also the power of the default option.

silisili 5y ago

I'm not so sure it's specifically that always, maybe initially. Perhaps someone has a strong opinion about a thing. They -know- they are right, and every news source is wrong. Until they find one also right. So far, we agree, that's what they want to hear. But they keep turning to this source, who is spreading wild theories and untruths in other facets. But they were so right about issue X, they must be right about this too! I think this pretty much sums up why so many 'conservatives' ended up unvaccinated. I cannot imagine that they set out wanting to hear that vaccines are unsafe or will give you microchips. Something/someone they trusted led them down this awful path. As much as I support free speech, the last few years have really shown me the dangers of it, as well. But how can you regulate? Any arbiter is going to have a bias.

ribs 5y ago
I think it’s likely that ‘conservatives’ (and New Age enthusiasts, and others) wanted to hear anti-elitist messages, messages that discredited experts, which anti-vax messaging is congruent with.
- Applejinx 5y ago
  Anti-vax messaging and riling folks up to gather in large, angry, infectiously yelling maskless groups is a really good way to leverage an unanticipated pandemic against the population of an enemy country, especially if you figure your own country can fight off the pandemic better… or you literally don't care about those who live in your own country as long as the enemy dies. As a bonus, you can then get the enemy country to think the pandemic is brought by immigrants, or was invented by its own internal enemies, as a way of pushing for civil war or at least continuous, aggrieved, domestic terrorism. The pandemic has all kinds of uses if you control the discourse and can find something to blame. It becomes a natural disaster or some kind of pervasive biological weapon that you don't even have to deploy… just foster and nurture.

TrispusAttucks 5y ago

You're probably correct. The problem I see is one "alternate reality" starts to censor another "alternate reality". It's just a new form of warfare. The war for control of your mind and the shaping of beliefs about reality. A world where truth isn't part of the information or power structure means that He which controls the narrative controls reality. Arguably more terrifying that some false options and beliefs in the world.