Devyani – Week 10 – Red Pill or Blue Pill?
One of humanity’s most profound purposes in life is the millenia-long pursuit of knowledge–of truth. Throughout the rise and fall of entire empires and civilization, with countless religions and philosophies, from the first inkling of human cognition to the moral debates of today, we have tried to gain an understanding of universal truth.
In a world where information is becoming increasingly accessible to the public through the growth of the Internet and a spreading notion of free speech for all, it seems safe to assume that, with enough time searching, we could know the truth about everything. But is this really true?
Knowledge has a history of being used as leverage. There are countless instances of censorship and blackmail–information is as good as any sum of money. Even without the controlled media that still rules over many people with an iron fist, any information that does exist still can be manipulated. Information holds influence over people, and influence is power–whether it be for better or worse.
People may claim to want to find the truth, but there are those who actually want to simply be right. They want the knowledge that they know best, and that anyone who disagrees with them is wrong–plain and simple. They thus only read articles and click on links that they know will prove their views right. We are only as objective and unbiased as the media we consume. When we are not exposed to other perspectives, our own perceptions become our reality and we accept them as truth.
 |
| The manipulation of social media (image source) |
Social media caters to this desire to be right. It is a largely known fact that what you see on your feed is quite literally curated “for you”– it is influenced by what news you read, what videos you like, and who you follow. It’s how these social media companies ensure that links will be clicked and that the posts on their platforms gain the most traction possible. That also means that people will only ever see what they want to see. They believe that what they think is true because that is the only information given to them, and they will never see the other side of things. In a way, we are living in our own version of the Matrix–a simulation where truth is relative.
The danger of this illusion of truth is that it causes extreme polarization between sides with opposing opinions–all on the basis that the “other side” is incapable of seeing reason when “reason” is solely dependent on how you twist the same information.
So, what will it be? Will we as a society take the blue pill and continue to be subject to the algorithm and live in our own bubbles? Or will we take the red pill and become aware of the inherent bias in society, opening our minds to reality?
Wow, Devyani! I found your blog post fascinating and thought-provoking. I find it ironic how the internet was supposed to be the great innovation that leveled the playing field for access to information. Yet, it instead feeds upon our biases. The problem, however, may not be the media itself but human nature. As humans, we are not always seeking the truth but accepting the reality of what we feel SHOULD be the truth. The algorithms don't create bias but instead capitalize on bias. In that way, I feel that even if we acknowledge our bias and seek opposing viewpoints, we become inclined to believe that we are more objective than we truly are. I think it's important to live with uncertainty because the truth may not always be as simple as we would like it to be. Despite the red pill seeming like the obviously right answer, it may be more complex than that.
ReplyDeleteHi Devyani, I’ve never thought about social media algorithms in that way. Whenever I see a video that really ticks me off and gets me mad, I simply click on the three dots and tell it to never dare suggest any videos from that creator ever again. In that way, my thinking is now flawed because I no longer accept ideas that disagree with my own, and often scrolling through comments of reddit stories that are turned into reels make me angered that people could have such irrational–at least to me–views. From your blog, I now feel like it’s important to look at the world in the eyes of another, because for some debatable questions, there are never clear answers that perfectly align with every aspect that people believe in. Even in math, people online often have arguments over the precedence of M and D in PEMDAS, and although it is mathematically correct to solve from left to right, realizing other people’s mistakes is also another way for me to grow and avoid those same mistakes in the future. I agree with your analysis of the dangers of not seeing both sides of the argument, which is often why in debates, people investigate the opposing side to understand their viewpoints as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Devyani! First off, I want to say that your tone and language are very eloquent and critical throughout the blog. It’s just something that truly stood out to me and—dare I say—it gives you some sense of credibility, too, like you know exactly what you’re talking about.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, people do tend to spotlight views and evidence that favor their own ideals. I’m quite guilty of such a thing. Despite myself, I can’t help but keep doing so, almost as if the action is ingrained in my nature. Then again, I also believe that AP English has introduced fresh perspectives and information concerning bias, especially through our analyses of exigence and the credibility of a source. While it is uneasy—even downright off-putting—to be proven wrong about something through fact, it’s better to accept the harsh truth than settle for the saccharine lie. With that being said, I gladly take the red pill.