Dangers of the Internet
By its very nature, the Internet acts in ways that distort our view of the world. That is because the more your presence on the Internet appears to indicate an interest in certain subjects or viewpoints, the more you are automatically directed to similar information when you use a search engine such as Google. Instead of being taken to a variety of sources, you are taken to sites that – according to your past activities – will tell you what you want to hear. The result is that you are accessing an increasingly narrow bubble of information.
The Internet also provides a means for anyone to post anything at a moment’s notice, without any thought to its validity or consequences. As Emma Teitel observed (Maclean’s, December 23, 2013), the Internet has a way of democratizing debate to the point where anybody with a bad attitude and an IP address can make the nightly news, or launch an all out culture war. What was once something scrawled on a bathroom wall to be seen by a few, can now – thanks to the Internet – be shared around the world in minutes and become the issue of the day. Research has shown that dramatic and outrageous statements are shared much more frequently because of their very nature. One is reminded of the old saying (attributed to Mark Twain, among others) that a lie travels halfway round the world while truth is still pulling on its boots.
It is not just lies but wild and wacky conspiracy theories that now proliferate and prompt dysfunctional behaviour and an increasing breakdown of law and order. While distancing and wearing masks are essential if we are to bring the COVID pandemic under control, there are frequent public protests against mandatory masks (including thousands who took to the streets in Montreal and Vancouver recently). The owner of a bar/restaurant in Florida made the news recently by posting signs that anyone wearing a mask was NOT allowed into his facility. Now that the most famous debunker of masks has contracted COVID one wonders if at least some of his fervent followers will entertain the possibility that the virus might be real and that masks might be worthwhile.
Conspiracy theories came to the fore as the wildfires raged in America. First responders in Oregon pleaded with local citizens to stop spreading rumours that Antifa activists were responsible for the fires rather than the very dry conditions made worse by climate change. [For those unfamiliar with the term, Antifa means anti-fascist and it comprises a number of different groups on the left side of the spectrum who are very critical of White Supremacists and others they see as fascist.] Not to be outdone, those on the far right have their own conspiracies centred on allegations that there is a cabal of Satan worshippers and pedophiles (including many Democrats and liberal Hollywood actors) that is running a global sex-trafficking ring and is plotting against President Trump. No, I am not making this up; I wish that I were.
What Can Be Done?
Need I say more? If it wasn’t bad enough that political polarization was increasing and civil discourse was a thing of the past, we now face the added challenge that a significant and growing proportion of the population is cuckoo (to use a technical term from my political science studies). While things seem hopeless, there are things that you can do with a few simple steps.
- Don’t rely on a single source for your news.
- Consult a number of sources, preferably ones offering varying views.
- For any source, check to see if there is a by-line identifying the author, if sources for the story are provided, if the facts are checkable, and if the same story can be found elsewhere.
- To check the validity of news, go to www.snopes.com/category/facts/fakenews, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/ and http://www.politifact.com.
- Consider the varying views that you find and come to your own conclusion as to what makes sense.
- Most important, if you have doubts about the authenticity of any source, DO NOT SHARE IT.