Tags
Algorithms of social media networks, Disinformation, Multiple Realities, Post-truth Age, The Human Experience, Virtual Reality
We humans have re-created the surface of our planet in our own image. Then, for control of the masses by a few, we have constructed multiple realities of what it means to be a human. To further manipulate and distort facts and reality, we have entered what some regard as “the post-truth age.” With the aid of algorithms, disinformation whips across social media networks like hurricane force winds, rupturing human interactions within the physical spaces we share. For how much longer can our communities withstand this mounting chaos without implosion?
Three Worlds One Vision 
That is a really interesting idea. I still cannot believe how much notice people take of social media!
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John, you and I did not grow up in the days of handheld cellular phones, much less Smart Phones. And, the latest phones–an extension of the human hand–are very smart at getting users to stay connected for 24/7, if possible. Earlier this year, after years of resistance, I had to upgrade my flip-cellphone because my healthcare providers began using text messages as the preferred means of communication. My son selected the Apple iPhone SE (2020) and set it up for me. Nowadays, without asking, I receive Sunday notices of my average weekly time usage, with percentage ratings based on the previous week. Why does Apple care?
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Heh, I recently upgraded from my trusty iphone 5 to the SE, mostly just to accommodate the bluetooth functionality of my hearing aids, and the first thing I did was to turn off every single unnecessary app and notification. They are diabolically sneaky.
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I hope we do not descend that far!
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That’s my hope, too, Colin. But, sad to say, the vocal minority in America are becoming more belligerent and violent with each passing day–on airplanes, in supermarkets, in and outside hospitals, at school board meetings, and more.
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Not an encouraging sign 😦
I wonder whether it was always so but we never noticed or we filtered such memories out?
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It might well have been the case, but in those days we didn’t have Smartphones to instantly capture and spread our news. I’m reminded of your latest post on “Dragons and Dragonslayers of Brittany.” [https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/100910194/posts/3571963675] Imagine if early Bretons had Smartphones to share photographs of the beast or to spread conspiracy theories that the Christian Church was using these creatures to spread fear among the people, thereby drawing more members to its flock.
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That is a fair point! Yes, this immediacy that we seem to expect has a sharp double edge. What might have blown away as a little local news now gets amplified and distorted and exaggerated around the globe in minutes. 😦
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Herein lies the danger!!! Social media are global networks. What happens in the USA does not end in the USA.
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True!
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Such a powerfully profound question, Rosaliene
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Derrick, given the present social instability here in the USA and worldwide due to the pandemic and climate crisis, it’s a question we must all address.
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Quite so
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I am afraid, Rosaliene, that we are manipulated by media in general. I have lately tried to find out more about terror in connection with media and I really think that the more the medias speak about a disastrous event the more successful it becomes!
Thank you very much for your thought and all the best.:)
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That’s so true, Martina. Worse yet, we’re not even aware that we’re being manipulated. All the best to you, too 🙂
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:):)
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Well said! I often find myself asking the same question in my head, never seeming to find the right words. Thanks for posting.
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Thanks very much, Tammy. I also struggled to put my growing concern into words.
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Hopefully, sanity will prevail.
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It’s my hope, too, Neil. No nurse, doctor, or teacher should have to face the verbal and physical abuse being inflicted on them. I read today that government mandates are the solution. We shall see.
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Thank you for sharing!!… I compare this with the fate of the dinosaur… I believe there are elements of today’s world societies that are closed minded and seek out only what they wish to hear, denying anything that contradicts their ideology, and there are those that will take advantage of that thinking and tell them what they wish to hear… 🙂
There will be elements of today’s world societies that will be open minded, use the same technology to seek out reality and the truth, thereby evolving…. 🙂
Some dinosaurs accepted change and evolved, others did not.. it is up to the individual to choose… 🙂
Until we meet again..
May your day be touched
by a bit of Irish luck,
Brightened by a song
in your heart,
And warmed by the smiles
of people you love.
(Irish Saying)
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So true, Dutch! In her post of September 25, young African poet Tebogo Ndlovu expressed similar sentiments in her poem, “Thoughts Concerning Things.” You can read her poem on her blog at https://theamateursquill.wordpress.com/2021/09/25/thoughts-concerning-things/
Speaking of the dinosaur, it’s worth remembering that their immense size and power did not save them when disaster struck.
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To lighten the thought a bit, I am reminded of what an old Major League baseball player, Ransom Jackson, said as he approached his own 10th decade: “I don”t buy green bananas any more.” I hope that isn’t the answer to your question, Rosaliene!
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Dr. Stein, I wish I could take Ransom Jackson’s remark lightly. It’s so easy when we reach our 10th decade to live each day as though it were our last. The future doesn’t matter. If we were lucky, we’ve already lived our life to the full. The mess we’ve helped to create no longer matters. That’s for the younger generations to deal with.
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Very well put, dear Rosaliene.
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Thanks very much, Susan.
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So well said! It often angers me how people can exploit human nature to advance their own agenda. I can honestly say that leaving social media (except for my blog IG) was the best decision I made
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Good for you, TCK! That must’ve been a very difficult decision to make. It’s great to have you as a member of the WordPress community.
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Well, it was and it wasn’t. I actually felt cultural adjustment to Canada played a big role in that because I was also detoxing from living in two toxic countries and every time I got on Facebook, I was reminded of that. Thanks for your kind compliment. I enjoy having you in the WordPress community too. Take care! 😊
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I wish more young people like yourself could see the toxicity being promoted on social media and break free.
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I wish so too. The lure of connecting with friends is quite strong. But eventually, I came to the conclusion that if people want to contact me personally, they will. Strong friendships will survive leaving social media. I did exchange emails and phone numbers with friends before I left social media
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Have you heard the quote, “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on?” It’s sometimes attributed to Mark Twain and sometimes Jonathan Swift but either way, it’s been around a long time as has the reality that humans create and believe chaos. Which gives me some hope that even though things seems so extremely fractious right now, maybe we will survive. At least I hope we survive long enough to find some agreement on climate change so we can save the planet before that implodes too!
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Great quote, Wynne. The agents of chaos may well be reveling in their success. Climate change denial forms part of our current dilemma, making collective action even more difficult.
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I think the implosion has been going on for a while. 😦
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Widdershins, perhaps that’s why we’re acting so crazy. Our subconscious mind is recording the slow-moving signs of the ongoing implosion, while our conscious mind insists that all is well.
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Beautiful way to put it Rosaliene. So many of us are saying to ourselves, “something about this era feels different.” It seems all of our mistakes are now so dramatically interconnected and emphatic. A friend of mine recently said “it looks like humans are an invasive species.” God help us.
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Earth’s interconnected web of life is unraveling because of human overreach. Your friend is right: we humans are an invasive species. And there are now 7.9 billion of us and growing!
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Fortunately life seems circular, and truth will once again be on solid ground. As more look inward to their own truths, and as Mother Nature shows us her truth, we humans may become more humbled and bow to Truth once more. ❤
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Pam, may that day come soon ❤
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Sometimes, I just want to take a step back, or escape, but we do need to seek reality and know where we each stand, then state our hopes, and do what we can to step toward what we hope for. That’s the least we can do. Have the courage to change the things we can.
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JoAnna, thanks for sharing your coping strategy. For me, hope and courage go hand-in-hand when working towards achieving any change in my life.
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It is a worry. I feel for younger generations who seem to have no respite from troubles
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These are definitely not good times for our youth. We adults have messed up big time!
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Sadly I think an implosion is the only way to shake people up into taking action. It’s a needless tragedy that I don’t think we have the courage to avoid. Sorry, I sound so bleak!
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Our situation is bleak, Diana. Such is our reality.
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Someone just told me that they simply do FB to be in touch with friends and family rather than to become embroiled in all else. Is that possible? I try my best. I am currently working on a blog along this same train of thought. My mind keeps moving into thoughts of the political. I am trying to resist. But keep coming back to what it is to be a human being, and the fact that those in politics are not gods but humans, starting out like anyone else. They don’t appear to remember this fact. I am grateful to have you find me, and in turn, I find more of you. And you are in Maine too! I live near Portland.
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Pejj, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Whether or not we are actively engaged in politics, each one of us is part of the body politic. I also live on the west coast, but in Los Angeles.
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Eloquently stated, Rosaliene. We will either wise up or blow up. And if we fail to significantly defuse the (anti)social media anger / madness? Well, regrettably, one needn’t go ballistic, anymore, for society’s mutual assured destruction to finish us off.
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Tom, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
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You are welcome.
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