We are drowning in a sloppy stew of misinformation, one-sided opinion, hearsay and news that uses us rather than representing news we can use. And now, confronted with one of the greatest crises that humankind has faced in the modern era, our future and perhaps our very survival depend on access to news that is based upon facts and solid evidence.
Digiday
As leaders – of our homes or businesses – we must recognize that most information we consume is processed through filters, lenses, biases, or algorithums.
It is our duty to vet the information, do our own fact checking, and understand the underlying data informing our understanding.
Social media platforms have a responsibility to their “stakeholders” (of which you are probably not one of) – their business model is built on selling ads. Ads generate money the more time you spend on the site. This system rewards “oh-my-god-hair-on-fire” headlines, which create an emotional response. Your response is often to return to their platform and express a reaction or connect with other like-minded people.
In the end, you are closing the loop and generating more money for the social media platform.
Traditional “news” outlets are the same.
Carefully consider where you are getting your information.
Also understand, everything has a bias.
