Identifying the truth is a constant challenge for each of us because we often lack the tools to ascertain the true measure of things ourselves. There is a dearth of words to explain the new ailments caused by the excess of information being generated by techno-feudalism and Artificial Intelligence. Unprecedented levels of euphoria and disgust are challenging human intuition, revealing the extent to which untruths generate attention. We need to integrate a sort of “lie detector” into our everyday lives to expose false truths.
The Post-Truth Era
The Oxford Dictionary was so fascinated by the term “post-truth” in 2016 that it decided to turn it into an “era.” Journalists and political analysts expressed their concern about this phenomenon directly influencing public opinion through the deliberate distortion of true facts that are manipulated from an ideological standpoint to benefit a particular cause, which leads to a prevailing truth consisting of well-constructed narratives. The final product is riddled with hidden agendas and mostly uses colloquial language to create new narratives and conspiracy theories, which raises the question: What would happen if human beings could no longer recognize the truth in their own environment?This is not new. Both the Greek and Roman elites of Western antiquity recognized that understanding mass public opinion was synonymous with attaining political power. Some historical cases serve as evidence of this. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), for example, opponents of bourgeois society were effectively distracted thanks to freedom of the press and a series of scandalous articles. Of course, there have been more alarming situations than this. The Nazi Party manipulated the media to distribute its political propaganda through various communication channels that included newspapers, television programs, and even films. The party successfully influenced the opinion of the people but with more serious consequences. When the Cold War was coming to an end, capitalist countries resorted to a propaganda strategy that promoted certain products on comedy shows, thereby increasing the insatiable appetite for consumerism. Around the same time, tabloid-style newscasts emerged.
Post-truthfulness and distrust are attitudes that discredit public discourses that are true or that have been scientifically proven. Today, a large segment of the young population consults and follows trends on social media. The most popular topics produce a network of preferences based on a specific algorithm. In the post-truth era, credibility, truth, and facts are at stake, harming freedom of expression. The solution is to learn to recognize the distinguishing characteristics of false information that can be used to modify discourses at will and serve to defame and manipulate the media via social networks.
Musk’s Techno-Feudalist Era
Entrepreneur Elon Musk bought Twitter in April 2022 with its approximately 368 million users and stunning capacity to generate global trends. The acquisition of platforms by entrepreneurs can turn any user into a “specialized” critic or opinion leader who persuades a specific group. Cedric Durand, an expert in economics, calls these economic systems “techno-feudalism”: Magnates monopolize digital spaces to test updates and sell products, but this privatization also generates an inequality of knowledge, which can impact the economy, politics, and society broadly.
Digital spaces enable influential people with purchasing power to increase the visibility of their information, even if its content is sensationalist, controversial, or false. The aim is to circulate shocking or antagonistic ideas (just look at Donald Trump’s Twitter account). Elon Musk could be the first person to buy a social media platform and set his own rules. Wealth has colonized one of the busiest platforms on the Internet, and the most important question is: Are we truly the masters of our own opinions, or are we just parroting ideas in order to fit in somewhere?
The Era of False Information
The most absurd, unimaginable topics in the universe are possible because of AI, the accomplice of a post-truth world, the tool that has allowed us to listen to Freddy Mercury performing covers of Dua Lipa and to see Pope Francis wearing haute couture. ChatGPT, Deepfake, and other software allow us to realize our audiovisual or artistic projects without the distraction of our minds. Machines synthesize knowledge, imagination, and production from the depths of our psyches. Some professionals and companies have tried to shed light on the drawbacks of the digital world, highlighting that this “great power” comes with an enormous ethical responsibility because images go viral more quickly than news. Until a few years ago, the advancement of AI had not yet caused us to question our perceived reality, but its development has complicated the work of writers, photographers, and journalists tremendously. Professionals face a great challenge: mandatory verification of sources to substantiate that the story is not from a machine. The 2023 actors’ and writers’ strike in Hollywood provides the most recent evidence that the simplification of human activities and the invention of narratives with the help of algorithms must be regulated in order to protect creative work.The creation of artificial information affects various processes that require cognitive function, such as reasoning, learning, analysis, and behavior. Software synthesizes these processes, passing them off as genuine ideas. It is important to constantly work within a legal framework of regulations and transparency in AI so that issues do not arise surrounding the originality of artistic proposals.
How to Survive in a Time of Disinformation?
This crisis of truth is causing collateral damage to human intellectual and cognitive integrity. Given the facts presented, discrepancies are difficult to identify. The rapid growth in the quantity of information requires increased literacy among the population and the intervention of international bodies that establish and advocate for the ethical regulation of this human right. The following aspects should always be taken into account:Timeliness: Always check the date that the content was first created and distributed or link to the original content.
Author(s): The site must indicate the name of the author or institution that produced the content. A short biography and any contact details should also be provided.
Accessibility: Content must be accessible via popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, or Safari. The text should not be disrupted by advertising content or pop-up windows that hide certain text elements or images.
Language: Content is presented neutrally. There is no subtext that seeks to influence the reader or represent particular interests.
In the case of images or videos, make use of advanced tools, such as Google Images, Invid, or GTPZero, to verify that the material has not appeared in other content or on other websites.
This document serves as a survival guide for combatting informational bias, which severely impairs both the formation of new ideas and independent opinions, undermining the democratic and critical side of decision-making. It must not be forgotten that knowledge can only be acquired through the diversity of ideas. Questioning the establishment means evolving our identities.
09/2023