Where are we Headed?

In a world where political correctness has gone overboard and everyone seems to be corrupt, a backlash was inevitable. Is being obnoxious the oral version of that backlash, wonders Santosh Desai:

“The idea of truth has become so severely compromised that professed strength is seen to be a substitute for it. In a world where everyone is deemed corrupt, calling other people names without any restraint becomes decoded as a sign of honesty.”

But why is obnoxious so appealing to us?

“The directness, the uncomplicated self absorption, and the primitive nature of the promise combine to create a compelling force that we find easy to give in to… the most important reason for the success of the obnoxious is that they are always entertaining.”

Entertainment: it’s been what the masses wanted ever since the time of the gladiators, bread and circuses!

In another blog, Desai wonders if this is just a transition phase of democracy, caused by social media:

“Social media, by giving voice to the millions who were earlier forced only to listen, has deepened democratic participation while simultaneously enabling a shallower political discourse.”

Some believe that “as we discover the costs of our (social media) freedoms… some of rabid beaviour on display will get toned down”.

Logically speaking, why was it OK when the pre-Internet media (publishing, radio, TV) got to decide the topics of the debate, and pontificate on what was good and right? Does that lead to this very scary proposition:

“If we were to accept this axis of analysis, then it could be argued that liberalism and the idea of modernity that drives it is not an inevitable progression based on the human instinct for freedom, but a development contingent on what the dominant media form of the time is.”

How will this storm created by the Internet + social media play out? Nobody can say for sure, says Desai. But because the stakes are so high, it’s still worth thinking about:

“It is too soon to imagine what kind of changes lie in store, for the codes of a digitally powered society are still in the process of being formed… It is not a comforting thought, which is why it is worth thinking about.”