Quid Est Veritas? What Is Truth?

This person wrote two posts on Linkedin a few months ago. Here is the gist.

Post 1: "One day my girlfriend's dad calls: '... flipped her car, her neck isn't right'. My heart stopped. I ran to my desk and told my manager whilst packing. He turned to me and then SAID it: 'Oh ok, sorry to hear... but what about the report?'

Post 2: He went to 12 job interviews and received 0 offers. Some months later, 7 of the 12 interviewers "contacted me praising, recommending or wanting to work with me. 2 are now my clients." 

Am I sold about the authenticity of the posts? No for several reasons. 1. The scenarios though not impossible are unlikely. 2. I do not know/trust the author. 3.No evidence was provided. 4. No supporting sources. However, thousands probably disagree with my conclusions. Post 1 had 8,771 'likes' and post 2 had 12,142 'likes'.

Do so many people "liking' the post gives the author greater credibility? Will that make his stories more believable to others? And will both stories have the potential to spread across a huge audience? The answer to all 3 questions is yes.

Do we care whether its Real or Fake?

So are the posts 'Real, Fake or Alternative', and does anyone care if we figure it out? Remember the Buzzfeed report in Nov 2016. It stated, “top fake election news stories generated more total engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined.” And why is the Trump book "Fire and Fury" a huge bestseller even though much of it cannot bear scrutiny to confirm accuracy and balance?

And even when the truth is presented, it can still be ignored. Just a while back, JK Rowling found out her rant about Trump's refusal to shake the hand of a disabled boy was completely out of order. Her response? Apologise to a boy and his mom and ignored the wrong she made to the President of the US. I guess it was rather inconvenient that facts got in the way of her assessment of Trump as 'this monster of narcissism."

Of course, blind spots go in both directions. See "The Twisted Logic of a Trump Supporter"

How Big are the Stakes?

And the search to detect the truth will get even harder. The latest video and audio manipulation tools can create realistic looking footage of public figures appearing to say anything. So you'll not only have to question what you read but also everything you see and hear as well.

So what can we do? Start questioning when we doubt the truthfulness of what we read, see and hear. The alternative- allow an Orwellian reality? “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe yourself”. Joseph Goebbels, REICH Minister of propaganda.

The present-day also offers education. Case in point - There is a denial by many in Washington and in the Republican Party about climate change. The absurdity of this denial is made glaring with the increase in erratic weather patterns and rising sea levels. How much time do we have left when denial from the world's greatest superpowers and the actions it paused, becomes a tragic and irrecoverable mistake for our species?

What if things become desperate enough that we start putting censorship on a pedestal and go after the sacred cow - free speech? Germany officially unveiled a landmark social-media bill to combat the spread of fake news and hate speech in the West. Critics of the bill have voice their concerns about restraints on free speech. Closer to home for me, Singapore announced a few weeks ago, the formation of a Government Committee that will propose countermeasures for the problem of fake news, while taking care to preserve space for healthy discourse and to not draft laws that are overly restrictive.

I wonder if we can get a better result if we re-channel these resources to compel politicians, banks and big organizations to be honest and say the truth consistently? You know, play offense and drown out lies with a tsunami of honesty.

Shall We Act?

There is little point worrying about the stuff we can't control. Better if we master what we can do to make a difference. So....

1. If you believe there is a falsehood - ask questions. Recognize that civility and not an interrogative approach is more likely to yield results.
2. If a video or audio look or sound funny start looking for telltale signs. Where was the video or audio created, who else was at the event and did the weather conditions match the records of that day?
3. All of us have biases and are inclined to believe stuff that resonates with our belief system. We are especially vulnerable to streaks of novelty and messages of affirmation. So we must include in the quest for truth, the possibility we could be wrong. An open mind is a good antidote for this malaise.
4. Since many people believe almost anything as long as it's what they want to hear, an easy way to spread the false news is to tell people what they want to hear. Just remember, saying what others want to hear is also called lying. Sadly, being caught lying and called a liar today, may no longer be sufficient deterrent to stop doing it. But it does not mean we should stop calling them out.
5. Finally, a lie does not become the truth just because it is accepted by the majority. So I go back to point 1, ask questions. Our collective ability to discern between truth and deceit may be our greatest and final defense.

Thanks for reading.