When people feel disoriented, they cling more desperately onto anything or anyone that seems to offer clarity. Here's what you need to know about this tendency and how to curtail its effects.
In addition to confusion, exploiting emotion is a tool of manipulation. When emotion is running high, rationality runs low. Scammers will send an email that makes you angry and supply a phone number to correct a faked problem. They will respond to your anger with calm and helpfulness guiding you into something you would not normally do because they have sabotaged your rationality.
I do most of my general grocery shopping at one store in my hometown, which has been in business for over 60 years: town and Country Market. Besides making the shopping experience pleasant for their customers by employing plenty of cashiers and baggers, they will also take your groceries to your car. Those are great points, but I mostly like it because they NEVER move departments around. So, when I shop, I am guaranteed the meat is going to be where the meat always is located. The same with the produce, etc. It’s a much more enjoyable shopping when you are not confused
Require more accurate labeling of ideologies, support investigative journalism, curtail false political propaganda. We could do so much just by doing these bare minimums.
Not so much to do with confusion but I would also add in promote more positive news sources. Fostering anxiety and depression helps to make a population more susceptible to manipulation and confusion.
Demi, a very thoughtful, well-presented, and savvy deep thought. To just share two personal experiences I had that confirm some of your observations: I got lost in a Las Vegas casino, I wasn't drunk, I could not find the exit, I even asked a security guard to point where the exit on the other side of the casino was. He pointed me to an area, I went there, and lost my bearings again. Finally, I had to ask another security guard to escort me out of the building. lol. I also thought that was evil genius interior design to keep people from leaving the building. Can you imagine if you had lots to drink as well?!
The second thing is I watched a video interview with Yuval Noah Harari, a pretty slick customer, the interview had a huge amount of positive reviews. Several of them had one paragraph praise with similar but subtle variations with many others. I thought I detected AI at work. I decided to look up about eight of these reviewers and all eight I picked had created no videos on YouTube. I concluded that Harari must have a team using ai reviews to swarm the page with hundreds of 5-star reviews. I ended by blocking the YouTube site.
Your analysis across the board is excellent and you are very good a 'normative abstractions', with what we know what are the best future choices to make. This post would make for an excellent college course on detecting internet bullshit, detecting the good guys, and avenues to work on to help the internet evolve.
This is a fantastic article. I agree with the sentiment “Teach kids it is wise and strong to say "I don't know" when that is the truth” and would like to add ‘but I’ll find out’ to the end of the ‘I don’t know’ 😉 This attitude benefits everyone, it’s a shame it takes considerable courage to do such a simple thing
Another great piece, Demi!! ❤️ As you say, it’s the Hegelian dialectic at play! Once you learn to distinguish it, it becomes easier to see it in operation.
Idk much about the confusion but there does certainly seem to be a lot of it going around. Especially in schools and universities where there are those who should know better. But when you spot some real misinformation coming from an authoritative source you can be sure it's not a mistake. So I have no problem in pointing such glaring misrepresentations, especially when dealing with historical facts. Joseph Goebbels once wrote "Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated
are confident they are acting on their own free will." ~ Joseph Goebbels This is the objective of almost every Psy-ops, In that they will by the most subjectively emotional manner possible, Instill the belief to the targeted audience that they in fact came to the idea through on their own volition. When in fact, a number of methods are used to subconsciously bring them to a certain conclusion. That is the most influential method of persuasion. In the words of the master of deception himself "This is the secret of propaganda: Those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it." ~ Joseph Goebbels This my friends is the key and remember that those powers that be have had a hundred years to refine these methods. Even now with the event of AI we must ask ourself is it really real or really good deep fake😳
A lot of this essay makes sense to me. Do have to say something about using blockchain tech in elections. My analogy for blockchain voting is: Picture a security company salesperson making a pitch for a fancy new type of vault to a bank exec. The blockchain is the vault, the money in the vault the data that blockchain protects. The bank exec says, "You know, one of our worst problems right now is a potential wave of counterfeit money, what with all the new printing tech available. What have you got to fight that?" Salesperson says, "Oh, yes, THIS VAULT IS AWESOME!" Bank exec: "But if my people put counterfeit money in it, what does it matter..." Salesperson: "I'm very sorry you hate the future. Sigh."
If people just took on the responsibility to understand their own psychology and their own physiology, they couldn’t be manipulated. It isn’t difficult. All the information in the world is at our fingertips. You just have to look. There is no excuse.
Humanity does everything it can to separate itself and place itself above the animal kingdom and yet the majority choose to behave like animals - grasping after the easy/comfortable/convenient/shiny object. Our species are a bunch of hypocrites and egomaniacs.
People don’t want to know the truth. They hold onto completely contradictory beliefs and ideas in their heads and are proud of it. It’s embarrassing.
If you don’t understand who you are or where you come from, why would you care where you’re going?
In addition to confusion, exploiting emotion is a tool of manipulation. When emotion is running high, rationality runs low. Scammers will send an email that makes you angry and supply a phone number to correct a faked problem. They will respond to your anger with calm and helpfulness guiding you into something you would not normally do because they have sabotaged your rationality.
I do most of my general grocery shopping at one store in my hometown, which has been in business for over 60 years: town and Country Market. Besides making the shopping experience pleasant for their customers by employing plenty of cashiers and baggers, they will also take your groceries to your car. Those are great points, but I mostly like it because they NEVER move departments around. So, when I shop, I am guaranteed the meat is going to be where the meat always is located. The same with the produce, etc. It’s a much more enjoyable shopping when you are not confused
Require more accurate labeling of ideologies, support investigative journalism, curtail false political propaganda. We could do so much just by doing these bare minimums.
Not so much to do with confusion but I would also add in promote more positive news sources. Fostering anxiety and depression helps to make a population more susceptible to manipulation and confusion.
“Underwater, basket, weaving curriculum!” 😂
Demi, a very thoughtful, well-presented, and savvy deep thought. To just share two personal experiences I had that confirm some of your observations: I got lost in a Las Vegas casino, I wasn't drunk, I could not find the exit, I even asked a security guard to point where the exit on the other side of the casino was. He pointed me to an area, I went there, and lost my bearings again. Finally, I had to ask another security guard to escort me out of the building. lol. I also thought that was evil genius interior design to keep people from leaving the building. Can you imagine if you had lots to drink as well?!
The second thing is I watched a video interview with Yuval Noah Harari, a pretty slick customer, the interview had a huge amount of positive reviews. Several of them had one paragraph praise with similar but subtle variations with many others. I thought I detected AI at work. I decided to look up about eight of these reviewers and all eight I picked had created no videos on YouTube. I concluded that Harari must have a team using ai reviews to swarm the page with hundreds of 5-star reviews. I ended by blocking the YouTube site.
Your analysis across the board is excellent and you are very good a 'normative abstractions', with what we know what are the best future choices to make. This post would make for an excellent college course on detecting internet bullshit, detecting the good guys, and avenues to work on to help the internet evolve.
This is a fantastic article. I agree with the sentiment “Teach kids it is wise and strong to say "I don't know" when that is the truth” and would like to add ‘but I’ll find out’ to the end of the ‘I don’t know’ 😉 This attitude benefits everyone, it’s a shame it takes considerable courage to do such a simple thing
Another great piece, Demi!! ❤️ As you say, it’s the Hegelian dialectic at play! Once you learn to distinguish it, it becomes easier to see it in operation.
Idk much about the confusion but there does certainly seem to be a lot of it going around. Especially in schools and universities where there are those who should know better. But when you spot some real misinformation coming from an authoritative source you can be sure it's not a mistake. So I have no problem in pointing such glaring misrepresentations, especially when dealing with historical facts. Joseph Goebbels once wrote "Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated
are confident they are acting on their own free will." ~ Joseph Goebbels This is the objective of almost every Psy-ops, In that they will by the most subjectively emotional manner possible, Instill the belief to the targeted audience that they in fact came to the idea through on their own volition. When in fact, a number of methods are used to subconsciously bring them to a certain conclusion. That is the most influential method of persuasion. In the words of the master of deception himself "This is the secret of propaganda: Those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it." ~ Joseph Goebbels This my friends is the key and remember that those powers that be have had a hundred years to refine these methods. Even now with the event of AI we must ask ourself is it really real or really good deep fake😳
A lot of this essay makes sense to me. Do have to say something about using blockchain tech in elections. My analogy for blockchain voting is: Picture a security company salesperson making a pitch for a fancy new type of vault to a bank exec. The blockchain is the vault, the money in the vault the data that blockchain protects. The bank exec says, "You know, one of our worst problems right now is a potential wave of counterfeit money, what with all the new printing tech available. What have you got to fight that?" Salesperson says, "Oh, yes, THIS VAULT IS AWESOME!" Bank exec: "But if my people put counterfeit money in it, what does it matter..." Salesperson: "I'm very sorry you hate the future. Sigh."
It's really that simple. A backgrounder here: https://www.usvotefoundation.org/blockchain-voting-is-not-a-security-strategy
If people just took on the responsibility to understand their own psychology and their own physiology, they couldn’t be manipulated. It isn’t difficult. All the information in the world is at our fingertips. You just have to look. There is no excuse.
Humanity does everything it can to separate itself and place itself above the animal kingdom and yet the majority choose to behave like animals - grasping after the easy/comfortable/convenient/shiny object. Our species are a bunch of hypocrites and egomaniacs.
People don’t want to know the truth. They hold onto completely contradictory beliefs and ideas in their heads and are proud of it. It’s embarrassing.
If you don’t understand who you are or where you come from, why would you care where you’re going?