The solution to fake news is more fake news
February 6, 2018•245 words
Or, it’s an interesting proposition. “Fake news” is a complicated problem, and yet I think rather than setting both human and automated criteria for what constitutes truth, overproducing fiction can have a similar but self-selecting effect. Namely, skepticism. A little of it wouldn’t hurt right now. I think there are two differing options for reality, or a blend in between:
Truth is curated by a handful of entities. Which in turn teaches reliance and trust on these entities. Which in turn creates inevitable tension and harvests an environment ripe for abuse of power.
There is such a large overabundance of fake and true news alike, that no one really knows what to believe anymore. In the context of “educated citizens,” this can be bad, but on the other hand, it does preach self-reliance. One will be forced to learn the skill to discern what is true and what is not for themselves. This particular sense on me has only become more acute in the last few years.
Is it safe to say that everyone knows a friend that lies entirely too much? Assume you have a person, and you are offered only two choices:
- Believe everything this person says.
- Believe nothing this person says.
I think we make it further with #2. Cooperation is of course important, so maybe that can be rephrased as: the extent to which one is a sucker is the extent of the ratio between the two.