Signals from noise
I have a bone to pick with the social media users.
Throughout the time of social distancing and quarantine, I’ve observed a depressing scenario caused by the “toxic rumination of the information” or more typically, “the news” that floats around.
Please, do not take it upon yourselves to be the reporters of the digital space. News from the professional reporters is stressful enough, and you all aren’t helping any cause by adding to the existing fluff.
People are stressed and apprehensive of the future due to the uncertainty caused by the current scenario. You, mindlessly spreading “awareness” without having any evidence or even a shred of understanding about events, are adding more to it. Please understand that the news coming to you is MOSTLY from biased and unconfirmed sources, and this includes sometimes even those coming from professional reporters.
You, the lay citizen who is just passively involved with the affairs of the world, DO NOT need to play the expert when your understanding on something is MOSTLY distorted by psychological biases and those of the ones “reporting” it to you. Thus, making it shallow and faulty in substance.
Under the guise of spreading awareness, please don’t keep hitting the share button. Instead try to understand the situation objectively.
I would urge you to create and share meaningful content rather than mindlessly sharing whatever your algorithm delivers to you.
- If you’re concerned about something, please try to understand it completely, before jumping the gun and hence the bandwagon.
- Be aware of the common psychological biases that govern the human thinking.
- Have a discussion, not a debate about the topic with whoever is concerned about the same.
- At last, try to come up with insights rather than merely sharing the news which adds to the pool of collective anxiety.
Let’s take the current crisis as an example, if you’re too anxious about COVID-19, try to understand it from as many facts as possible.
This section is particularly for those who have the gift of insight, and quality information at their disposal, additionally, the time and resources to analyse information. For those, who lack these skills and rely on others to get their information, it is upon these gifted ones to make them understand it, in a simple way. This will be facilitated by understanding the situation properly, like in the current crisis:
- Descriptive information: Start by understanding what viruses are, what categories they fall into, and how pathogens usually behave.
- History: Look at the history of viruses that have afflicted humanity in the past. Compare those times with the current ones. Start by comparing the added advantages and limitations.
- Statistics — Look at the numbers around that event. Start by finding answers to questions like; what is the mortality rate compared to other diseases, what are the demographics being affected the most, economically and medically. Try to understand the epidemiological background and studies.
- Responses/management — Look at how the other nations have responded to different viruses that have interacted with humanity and how that can serve as an example/solution to the situation in our country.
- Health — what are the health guidelines coming from credible organisations that can help us avert or fight (whatever situation you’re in) the virus effectively and responsibly.
Also, try discussing it with people around you who know about it more than you. Just as scientists get their research peer reviewed, and follow the process that takes place before it gets published, you need to have a strong point before you begin disseminating information to the public.
When you assimilate this much information with a conscious and a relatively lesser biased mind (let’s admit it, its impossible to know anything in its entirety), your brain starts making sense of the problem. When that happens, solutions are easy to come by in most of the cases.
There’s obviously no denying that the crisis does and will have repercussions, but understanding it objectively would help you build solutions that could also serve as an inspiration to those possessing different skill sets. This could inspire them to look at your insights and could ignite a spark to solve it with their know how.
However, you blindingly spreading news are only adding to the noise and anxiety. This negates any sort of rational conclusion, hence the progress in paving the way for a holistic or a specific solution.
I’ll admit that when the novel corona virus was relatively novel (hahaha) I was anxious down to the 206th bone. I remember having a chat with my friend Ankit, who attempted to calm me down, that eventually forced me to stop fearing, and start looking at the situation rationally. Ever since then, I’ve tried to direct my thinking to the points mentioned above. The reason why I haven’t shared any information that I’ve gathered, is because I feel my insights or analysis aren’t solid yet, but the points I mentioned have served as a base towards progressively understanding the situation.
Trust me if not anything, it has helped reduce my anxiety dramatically. Perhaps, if you think along the same lines, you could end up coping up better.
I hope that sounds like a ringing endorsement to rational thinking, and something to base your thinking upon in any situation.
I’m aware, that I haven’t covered all the points due to the fear of making the article too lengthy. If you’d like to discuss, I’d welcome your feedback to improve my knowledge base.
At last, I would say that even if you don’t or can’t do anything I’ve outlined, its okay for you not to try sharing anything. The necessary information is enough. We often fall prey to peer pressure which, without us knowing, forces us to pick sides and ostracizes those who do not have any opinion or insights for that matter. In a world where it is increasingly becoming complex to know something for what it truly is, it’s okay to take a break from all this, and/or do what matters to you the most.
