Deeply Flawed System

Many people react to the whole problem of “fake news” saying that they’re not so dumb as to believe anything they see or hear. Of course, they’d check up on what they read, they say. The mistake in that stance should be obvious. If that’s all it took to identify fake news, why are so many people falling prey to it? Is it even remotely possible that you alone are the kind who questions and checks while others are suckers who fall for whatever lie is told to them?

Danah Boyd points out that fake news operates in a far more subtle manner:

“It’s subtle content that is factually accurate, biased in presentation and framing, and encouraging folks to make dangerous conclusions that are not explicitly spelled out in the content itself. That’s the beauty of provocative speech: It makes people think not simply by shoving an idea down their throats, but inviting them to connect the dots.”

On the Net, Facebook and Google are most people’s sources of news. They want you to come back, so they feed you more and more of whatever you are already disposed to like. Hear what you believe again and again and your beliefs get strengthened. Of course, TV channels and newspapers do the same thing.

A thought experiment would help an idealist understand why unbiased news isn’t as easy as it sounds:

“Try writing a content policy that you think would work. And then think about all of the ways in which you’d be eliminating acceptable practices through that policy. Next, consider how your adversaries would work around your policy... These lines aren’t as clean as you’d think.”

So what’s the solution then? Boyd says we need to understand that tech is only amplifying a deep rooted dynamic that exists today, but tech isn’t the root cause:

“(Instead of saying) “they” should just do it… We need everyone — including companies — to be focused on grappling with the underlying dynamics.”

The only way forward is to first acknowledge the reality of today:

“Part of the heady challenge in all of this is that we’re all trapped up in a larger system that’s deeply flawed. Sure, there are individual actors who are especially greedy or malicious in their intentions, but the banality of evil runs deep.”

That last part extends beyond just the fake news topic; the left-right polarization also needs a similar approach for a chance of reconciliation. As long as the left refuses to accept that “we’re all trapped up in a larger system that’s deeply flawed”, the risk is that the right will destroy old institutions indiscriminately and replace them with new ones that may not solve the problem either. But if the left is willing to accept the deep flaws in the current system, a conversation could start and a better solution might yet arise.