How the Internet is Eroding Our Trust in Truth

Introduction

Hello, I’m Fred Wilson, a sociologist and a media scholar who has been studying the impact of the internet on society and culture for over a decade. In this article, I want to explore a crucial question: how has the internet eroded our trust in truth?

The internet, especially social media, has revolutionized the way we communicate, access, and evaluate information. It has given us unprecedented opportunities to connect, interact, and participate in the digital world. It has also empowered us to become not only consumers, but also producers and distributors of information. However, these benefits come with a cost: a decline in trust in traditional sources of information, such as newspapers, television news, and experts, and a rise in misinformation, polarization, and conspiracy theories.

How did this happen? How did the internet change our perception of reality, authority, and credibility? And how did it challenge the role and responsibility of the media, the government, and the public in safeguarding truth and democracy? These are some of the questions I will address in this article, using examples, studies, and cases from various domains and contexts. I hope to shed some light on this complex and urgent issue, and to offer some suggestions and solutions for restoring our trust in truth in the digital age.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-mat-and-surfing-internet-on-laptop-4498455/

How the Internet Has Changed the Way We Communicate, Access, and Evaluate Information

The internet has enabled unprecedented levels of connectivity, interactivity, and participation. We can communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime, using various platforms and devices. We can access a vast amount of information, from different sources and formats, with a click of a button. We can also evaluate information, using various tools and methods, such as search engines, ratings, reviews, and comments.

However, the internet has also increased the volume, velocity, and variety of information available to us. We are exposed to more information than we can process, filter, or verify. We are also exposed to more information that is fragmented, distorted, or biased. This leads to information overload, confusion, and uncertainty.

Moreover, the internet has given us more choices and control over what we see, hear, and read. We can customize our online experience, according to our preferences, interests, and beliefs. We can also create and share our own content, expressing our opinions, perspectives, and experiences. However, this also makes us more vulnerable to confirmation bias, selective exposure, and cognitive dissonance. We tend to seek, consume, and produce information that confirms our existing views, and avoid, ignore, or reject information that challenges them. We also tend to rationalize and justify our views, even when they are contradicted by facts or evidence.

The internet has influenced our information-seeking behavior, our trust in different sources of information, and our ability to distinguish between facts and opinions, evidence and anecdotes, and quality and quantity. For example, a study by Pew Research Center found that 64% of U.S. adults get news from social media, but only 14% trust it a lot. Another study by Stanford University found that 82% of middle school students could not distinguish between a news article and a sponsored post. Yet another study by MIT found that false news spreads faster, farther, and deeper than true news on Twitter.

How the Internet Has Affected Our Perception of Reality, Authority, and Credibility

The internet has created new forms of expression, representation, and identity. We can use the internet to express ourselves, to represent ourselves, and to identify ourselves, in various ways and contexts. We can also use the internet to explore and experiment with different aspects of ourselves, such as our personality, appearance, gender, sexuality, and culture. However, the internet has also blurred the boundaries between the real and the virtual, the public and the private, and the personal and the professional. We often have difficulty in determining what is real and what is not, what is public and what is not, and what is personal and what is not, on the internet.

The internet has also challenged the traditional notions of authority, expertise, and legitimacy. We can use the internet to challenge, question, and criticize the established sources of information, such as newspapers, television news, and experts. We can also use the internet to access, support, and promote alternative sources of information, such as citizen journalism, user-generated content, and social activism. However, the internet has also enabled the emergence of new voices, perspectives, and movements, that may not be based on facts, evidence, or logic, but on emotions, beliefs, or agendas. We often have difficulty in determining who is authoritative, who is expert, and who is legitimate, on the internet.

The internet has also redefined the criteria and standards of credibility, reliability, and accountability. We can use the internet to verify, validate, and evaluate the information we encounter, using various indicators and signals, such as links, references, sources, and dates. We can also use the internet to provide feedback, comments, and ratings, to the information we consume, produce, and distribute, using various platforms and channels, such as blogs, forums, and social media. However, the internet has also facilitated the manipulation, fabrication, and deception of information, using various techniques and technologies, such as deepfakes, bots, and trolls. We often have difficulty in determining what is credible, what is reliable, and what is accountable, on the internet.

The internet has shaped our perception of reality, authority, and credibility, in various ways and contexts. For example, the 2016 U.S. presidential election was influenced by the spread of fake news, the rise of alternative facts, and the manipulation of algorithms, on the internet. The Covid-19 pandemic was affected by the dissemination of misinformation, the emergence of conspiracy theories, and the polarization of opinions, on the internet. The QAnon conspiracy theory was fueled by the creation of online communities, the exploitation of cognitive biases, and the erosion of trust in institutions, on the internet.

How the Internet Has Challenged the Role and Responsibility of the Media, the Government, and the Public in Safeguarding Truth and Democracy

The internet has transformed the media landscape, the media business, and the media ethics. The media have to compete with new forms of information, such as social media, blogs, podcasts, and videos, that are more accessible, interactive, and engaging, than traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, and television. The media have to adapt to new modes of production, distribution, and consumption, that are more decentralized, diversified, and personalized, than conventional media. The media have to adhere to new norms and values, that are more transparent, accountable, and responsible, than customary media.

However, the internet has also posed new challenges and opportunities for the media to fulfill their functions of informing, educating, and entertaining the public. The media have to deal with the issues of quality, accuracy, and credibility, in the face of information overload, fragmentation, and distortion. The media have to balance the demands of profitability, popularity, and public interest, in the face of market pressure, audience preference, and social responsibility. The media have to cope with the risks of censorship, surveillance, and manipulation, in the face of political interference, corporate influence, and technological intervention.

The internet has also affected the relationship between the government and the citizens, the government and the media, and the citizens and the media. The government and the citizens have more opportunities to communicate, interact, and collaborate, using the internet, but also more challenges to trust, respect, and understand, each other. The government and the media have more platforms to inform, persuade, and influence, the public, using the internet, but also more responsibilities to protect, regulate, and monitor, the information. The citizens and the media have more choices to access, consume, and produce, information, using the internet, but also more duties to verify, evaluate, and share, the information.

The internet has also empowered the public to become more active, aware, and engaged, in the digital world. The public can use the internet to access information, to express opinions, and to participate in decision-making, on various issues and topics, that affect their lives and society. The public can also use the internet to organize, mobilize, and advocate, for various causes and movements, that reflect their values and interests. However, the internet has also exposed the public to more risks, threats, and responsibilities, in the digital world. The public have to deal with the problems of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, that can mislead, deceive, or harm, them or others. The public have to balance the rights of freedom, privacy, and security, that can conflict, clash, or compromise, with each other. The public have to cope with the effects of information, on their cognition, emotion, and behavior, that can influence, change, or control, them or others.

Conclusion

In this article, I have explored how the internet has eroded our trust in truth, but also how it has provided us with new tools and opportunities to restore it. I have discussed how the internet has changed the way we communicate, access, and evaluate information; how it has affected our perception of reality, authority, and credibility; and how it has challenged the role and responsibility of the media, the government, and the public, in safeguarding truth and democracy.

I have argued that the issue of trust in the digital age is complex and urgent, and that it has implications and consequences, for our society and culture, our democracy and governance, and our well-being and happiness. I have also suggested some recommendations and best