You don't have to read this. Really. I'm just typing it out for my own sanity.

I learned some things about technology and people last week. Some of it was intuitive, but some of it has taken some processing. The internet was made public in 1991. At the time it was thought that the ability to share knowledge globally beyond academia would free people to become deeper thinkers. What we have all observed is actually the exact opposite. There are several factors at play in this demise of fact based knowledge.

1. Uncontrolled Sources
2. Human Self Interest
3. Race To Be First
4. Shock Value
5. Weaponized "News"

When people wanted to know things prior to the internet, they had to go to school, read encyclopedias, ask professionals, or read/listen/watch carefully fact checked news media. Facts presented in these formats were critically assessed prior to their being provided for public consumption. In essence, people could disagree about what the facts meant, but no one argued the facts.

The internet combined with social media, has become ungovernable. It is simply not efficient for people to spend the time they should, nor do they have the training to accurately chase down sources for ideas and opinions presented online. In essence, we rely on what we read or watch as fact, without knowing whether it is or not. When this is coupled with our own personal opinions/feelings, we slant the supposed facts we consume online to whatever feels right inside us - effectively disregarding any contrary true facts in the process. You can pick any issue - health/religion/science/politics/etc. All are polluted with the stain of internet lies and rumor.

Now to pile on the "official" media - everyone's favorite whipping boy. They haven't helped. At all. When Reagan & congress deregulated "news" to basically "entertainment" status, it set the stage for all media outlets to filter truth through whatever filter they saw fit in order to sell ads. Stories and issues were presented in the best way to extract the most drama, instead of providing the most clarity. You can watch any news show and see it for yourself. The facts are nothing but a stage for drama or slanted commentary designed to have the same affect as a car crash to keep us watching.

So now what? It's not possible to put the genie back in the bottle. The idea of regulating the internet garners an immediate "NOT TODAY YOU DICTATOR" from anyone who supposedly supports an unfettered internet. Because then you end up with someone having to be the regulator, and then everyone is worried about what they will filter. The misinformation has gotten so bad we have websites (Snopes) that MAKE MONEY off of finding out the truth behind internet lies. Think about that - someone GETS PAID to tell us if something is a lie.

I don't have an answer. I hate the deceptions we must all wade through to find a grain of truth. I hate that WE are a big part of the reason those deceptions are a reality. I hate that we can't trust those in charge to actually do something about it without staining truth with their own brand of lie. And most of all, I hate that we lie to ourselves by consuming all of this trash and then selectively decide what is truth and what is not through the filter of our own bias. It becomes a house of lies built on a foundation of lies. No wonder people have anxiety issues. They cannot find truth, so subconsciously everything is based on lies - which becomes the hidden fear that is the very basis of their anxieties. Guessing is not a substitute for knowing.

*sigh*

Sorry for the long soap box. I had to write it out. It was spinning around in my head and needed a place to land.