The economy of misinformation!

 

Some fascinating stories in circulation on the web today.

• Earth is flat.

• 'Moon landing' was a conspiracy, it never happened.

• Herbs cure COVID19.

• Homosexuality is a disorder and it can be cured by Yoga.

• Our ‘race’ is the best.

• 'Motivation and passion' that is all that one needs to succeed in life.

All of the above is just plain untrue, misleading and utter bullshit; but you know what? You can find ‘information’, ‘social media posts’ and ‘opinions’ masquerading as facts - supporting each of these bizarre theories on the internet. Not one, not two but millions upon millions of carefully crafted digital stories backing each of these salacious claims, not only exist but are only a recommendation away. Planted delicately in the way of your attention to make you stop, scroll, consume and click. The currency of your attention is what the spreaders of the misinformation are gunning for. These exist because vested interests are willing to pay for them from their endless pool of resources.

The economy of misinformation is HUGE, estimated at 250 billion USD, globally!

Misinformation, slander and scandals; sell like hotcakes.

Take a moment to imagine a group of people, who were born and brought up on these posts. Consider that they have lived their entire life surrounded by these details, would they ever accept contrasting information worthy of their attention? When they go on to the world wide web and search, they find millions who hold the same beliefs; what do they take away from it? That they are not alone and that there is no way, so many people can be wrong about something, which they believe to be true. So it must be true, the earth is indeed flat and to support that they have emphatic evidence right in front of their eyes, the ground below their feet is indeed flat; so how can the claim that earth is flat be untrue?

While you process that, let me present a thought exercise: look at all the things that you may have acquired in the last 2 years or so. List everything down, every item and then try to trace back, to the original instinct that got you to buy them. What was it? Did any form of advertisement, play a part?

Let me bring the third case into the mix; list down the last ten digital altercation that you may have had with others on various internet-based mediums - social media, messengers, video chat forums and others. What caused those brawls actually? What formed the basis of your opinions, the cause that you stood for? Was it in any way bolstered by what others expressed in solidarity with your views on the matter on the digital platform, that you frequent?

If yes, then you’ve been played with.

You’ve been manipulated by someone who devilishly weaponised the weaknesses of your mind, your ignorance; to further their own cause. They have benefited from the blind spots of your psychology, your behavioural glitches to make money out of your attention. How do you like the idea?

The illusion of knowledge, a false feeling of confidence and sense of community and belonging that these digital excursions (Social media) offer in exchange for time spend on the medium- draws people to them, irresistibly.

Let's take another case.

Imagine an ignorant but decent soul playing a silent spectator in an argumentative exchange going wild on a Whatsapp group that he is a part of, in which he found the group proposing 'earth is flat' presenting colourful reasons for it being the truth. In all honesty, with the sole objective of finding facts he launches youtube and types, "Earth is flat". Youtube returns the man, a ton of videos on that topic. He watches to one, and then moves on to the other and then to the next. After 2 hours of viewing different people eloquently presenting to an HD camera the fact that 'earth is flat' in a well-lit frame, he is confident. In his mind, he has the 'Knowledge' that he needs. He rages back to the group with his newly acquired 'intel and confidence' adds weight on to the side of the argument that purposed that 'earth is flat'. A few of these debates later the man now is a convert, an activist of the cause of dispelling every other version of the earth, circulating faster than earth is rotating on its axis. He considers it his responsibility to put things to record now.

A bubble of sorts is created in which he is trapped for eternity, an expansive universe in which he magically finds different people from different parts of the world who think exactly as he does? It is nothing but smart algorithms pushing on the side of conformance bias.

The principle to note in internet-based knowledge gathering and socialising exercises is that when you find people echoing your thoughts it does not always mean that what you are thinking is the right thing to think, it only means that like you the other people have also been subjected to the same stimulus and therefore they are reacting in a predictable way.

Confirmation is not the same as corroboration, more people saying the same thing does not make it right.

Consider this, let’s say your name is “Lav Kush” and a million people start calling you “Rohan” all of them addressing you by the wrong name at the same time and in a continuous and consistent manner; imagine 10 more people get added to that group of a million people who are calling you by a wrong name. What is the most likely name they are going to think you have? Lav Kush or Rohan? You know they would inadvertently add their voice to the building chorus of “Rohan”. "Rohan" is a fictitious name for you but it is a fact for those million others. Except that the million people, in this case, are simply wrong, but they are united in their misinformation and that makes the cumulative choristers appear much stronger than what is actually the right information - "Lav Kush".

This is how 'spread' of misinformation works.

The other question now is; when people have such an effective and powerful tool in their reach why do they not spread the right information? Are they inherently evil people? Why does it always have to be the wrong use of the tech? What sense does it make to use the tool wrongfully for indecent purposes? Why would someone be so taken up by the cause of spreading misinformation? These are valid questions. The answer is that - the truth is always ‘mundane’ and uninteresting because it does not dress up to impress it just puts clothes on.

Let me present to you two flavours of the same story, to further the argument.

The First Version: Iqbal is a hardworking student. He commits himself to routine and follows it through. He studies 6 hours a day, every day and then sleeps 8 hours a day, every day. He eats home-cooked meals most of the times. With sustained preparation, he cleared the prestigious UPSC entrance examination.

The second version: Iqbal was a bad student, he used to get into fights and all sorts of funny stuff back in school. His teachers and family members were equally worried about the prospects of his future. One day, while strolling back from school he met a sage who gave him a miracle filled sweet, he ate it and from that day onwards he was transformed. He started studying 16 hours a day, he would not even need to sleep for more than 4 hours a day and he constantly just kept on working. As a result, he cracked the prestigious UPSC entrance examination.

Both versions of the story offer the same outcome “Iqbal cleared the prestigious UPSC entrance examination” but which one do you think will sell more? First or second? We know the answer is going to be second.

Why?

The second story, forces leading questions on to the readers. Has a hint of mystery in it, waiting to be unravelled, some like these.

•Are miracles possible?

•Sages have transformative capabilities.

•Who was this sage, could we also seek his blessing?

•16 hours of study is possible, can be tried out. All of those who do not put in those kinds of hours are stupid nincompoops and are bound to fail.

•Sleep is not important at all; 4 hours is just about fine.

The first one, will not get anyone excited, it is as boring as a bowl of khichri. It is not exciting and that is enough to drive people away from it. But we can't say the same thing for the 2nd version, which appears straight from the movies.

That is how the business of fake news, conspiracy theories and propagandist narratives work.

It plants juicy connivance at the heart of an earthly event to get people interested, in the story. Constant and colourful reinforcement is supplied. Different people use this hunger (vulnerability of the human mind) for mystery in different forms.

Tech giants - Deploy powerful and pervasive algorithms to supply an abundance, the never-ending flow of content to satiated our senses by confirming to our beliefs, trapping us in our own bubble and yet keeping us hungry, at the same time by furnishing a variety of overproduced agenda-driven content, often for free. They grow audiences by popularising biases which they monetise for their economic gains. They sell our attention to corporations that are willing to place advertisements of their products somewhere in the content for us to consume and then get persuaded to buy.

Political parties use it to generate narratives that suit their politics. They create grand distractions to blind people of real issues/shield their failures. False enemies are erected so that people remain busy fighting them while they make the hay. Accountability is abdicated by confusing public consciences in an endless maze. News organisation and social media firms are paid to do the job. We are witnessing one right now in the country. We've become the 2nd most infected with COVID19 as a country, China is walking over our toes, the economy has plunged by 24%, and joblessness is at its peak and all we are being offered is scandalous collusion of an actor who died.

Corporations - They plug their products where the eyeballs are to boost growth prospects. You can’t buy a product that you have not seen or heard about. So wherever most people are listening becomes the essential place for organisations to advertise. They willingly pay the tech giants for creating these vast networks of disbelieves and misinformation appearing as reality and truth.

Regular people - They have a smartphone with a cheap data connection and nothing better to do with their time. So they hog on it, endlessly. Consumption becomes the easiest and effortless way to spend time.

Very few people have actually studied psychology and human behaviour well enough to avoid falling in these traps as a result they allow platforms to trade their attention for their profit. In the end, capital wins because these spaces are made available to the highest bidder; truth does not matter as much as confirmation bias does. Ordinary users unknowingly grow these monsters by feeding them with their attention. For short term pleasure, they lose long term control. Are you willing to squander your senses to the chorale around you? If not then, delete your social media accounts right now, limit your news consumption (preferably to print). Use your time productively in something useful, something constructive. You'll be better served.

I’m linking my article on digital minimalism, here for you to see the ways in which you can shield yourself from the damage the internet can do to you.

Good luck and stay safe.

Nepotism- we’ve all benefited from it!

When the unfortunate news of rising cine star from my home town Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly committing suicide broke, it eclipsed everything else that was going on in the country. The tragic development affected us all in unimaginable ways. Predicated on our value system and level of awareness, we took to it differently. The news cycle gave way to many streams and theories; the most prominent among those were:

1) Mental health -

Depression - Popular celebrities, from all walks of life, came forward and spoke about their stories of struggle and then triumph over the ailment. Which was very reassuring and I found it brave, especially because in our otherwise evolved society mental health is still a taboo. We surely need open and frequent discussions on it. And it helps when public figures spread awareness. Bipolar disorder also caught the public eye. As someone who has studied human behaviour, I found it pleasing (the discussion, not what had happened).

2) Nepotism -This is when the events took an ugly turn. The poster boy of Nepotism Karan Johar resurfaced, with him Salman Khan and others; the entire '12th fail but popular and rich' gang invaded public discourse. Growing rage against them on social media and drawing rooms became insane. The tone and the tenor of the discourse became very sad very quickly.

"The usual ban him/jail him/ kill him" - killed the mood!

I do not have access to the objective truth or the forensic details of the crime scene so I would not like to loosely speculate, on what might have transpired on that fateful night. What I do know that whatever happened was not good, we can't conclude it in any other way.

My condolences to the bereaved family and I wish the departed soul eternal peace.

News cycle has moved on to other topics but I am stuck on the 'Nepotism and favouritism' debate with myself. It is a complicated matter, I could not form a firm opinion on it in the last 40 days. Partly, because we have more in common with the victim than those who are being accused of having abetted his suicide, that is what I began with. A fit of anger gripped me, the social arrangements looked like an old set of Amitabh, the angry young man who is out there to fight the immoral ‘system’ rising from the filth of poverty and deprivation. It is an easy stand to take. After all, it does not take a lot of work to demand the fashionable banning of the rich because someone with lesser privilege was coming out to be the victim, in this unfortunate incident.

Of course, my socialist upbringing was nudging to launch me into the streets. But I know that the majority is not always right and the popular view is almost always based on emotions and not rooted in facts. So, I gave my rush a rest and refrained from placing my views about the disaster in public, just yet. I wanted to think it over, over and over again - covering all bases, as it were. 40 days and a couple of hours of sleep sacrifice, later, I'm ready to participate in the raging debate.

बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय, जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय।

Kabir came to my rescue and I started analysing my journey to see if I have ever benefitted from nepotism and favouritism, in any way, shape or form? And I find that I have indeed gained from the social evil and as it turns out, quite substantially. All of us are a result of our circumstances and circumstances come out of our surroundings, the one that is constituted of our family, our friends our finances and our followings. Allow me to put before you an example, to make an argument.

Scenario 1 - A child is born in Damascus, Syria and is raised there. She learns to sketch and by the age of 10 creates impressive graffiti on the broken walls that pulls passersby to stop, watch and admire, her creations.

Scenario 2 - A kid is born in Notting Hill, London, England and is brought up there. She learns to sketch and by the age of 10 creates magnificent graffiti on pavements which entices walkers from around the world into stopping by, to watch, absorb and admire, her brilliant creations.

Try to analyse these circumstances, on all accounts, the girl in Syria will score better. Simply because she was born in a region where staying alive means taking every step being mindful of land mines and drone strikes. ‘Surviving’ each day there is an achievement in itself. There is a very high possibility that she either had one parent or perhaps grew up an orphan, she could be malnourished and does not know of a day in her life when blood-stained bodies did not cross her path. It won’t be wrong to guess that she could have taught herself sketching and draws because she has nothing else to do. We can’t be sure if she knows, different food items that are categorised as breakfast, lunch, and dinner - for her whenever food presented itself, it was time to eat. She is perpetually hungry and always in grave life-threatening danger.

Let’s contrast her case with the Notting hill kid. She lives in one of the best cities in the world in a developed economy. She wakes up to a busy street lashed with all the riches of the world; She hears about the latest video games and trending clothes. She does not eat Dark chocolate because White has her taste. She does not know what it is like to be hungry, to miss a meal or to be uncomfortable. Even if she is not from the top 5% of the city, she still has a room to herself, in a centrally warm apartment. Working and loving parents watch over her. She reads poetry and dreams of going to the mars one day. For her, walking out is a safe routine exercise - she sees parks full of jumping kids and an ocean of colourful toys. She goes to an elite school and is friends with kids from other happy homes. Her parents chose drawing as a development routine for her and she is aided by her painting teacher. Every time she sketches something interesting, she is greeted with compliments and praises. And chances are that she has also appeared in the local newspaper and radio shows.

Both of these talented kids are at the same level of craftsmanship and expertise - but will both of them end up the same way with their prowess? We know, they won’t

Talent is universal but 'opportunity' is not.

There is every possibility that Syrian kid if she does not die, will live a mediocre life of poverty and the Londoner could grow up into a globally revered and celebrated artist!

Can we hold one kid responsible for misery or success of the other? No!

Is this a fair world? No!

I recommend that you read “winners take all" by magnanimous, Anand Giridharadas. Our world is rigged inherently to favour the privileged and no one person or group is responsible for it. You might find it odd but human intelligence is to be blamed for it. We compare, and those who fair better or have more of what is considered valuable are acknowledged and labelled superior. The anointed superior takes charge and then creates a world to suit thier design. What follows is a repeat of the same rule. A couple of billions of cycles of repetition later and we are here in our current state of the world. It has its flaws and its flashes of brilliance both - signified on where we are at on the relevant scale of accepted value norms, we face life one way of the other.

We despise those above us and the ones below us in the value chain loathe us - that is the way of the world! This is not to say that injustice does not exist, it does. The fact is that every social misdoing is rooted in inequality.

Social structure is flawed and I see very little hope for it to get corrected because the infection runs deep and it gets more intense with every run of the day.

Nepotism, is a real thing and it is pure evil; but it is everywhere, even in our homes! Because most of us aren’t successful with fame or wealthy to the point of a stink, our biases do not become the talk of the town. We’re a deeply racist society that wears red tape as a badge of honour. It must CHANGE! It starts way early in our lives even before we know to spell the word or understand its meaning, let alone comprehending its implication on the society. I will give a few examples from my own life.

1) Back in school, if it ever happened that I had not done my homework, most teachers dropped registering school book remarks for non-completion for that day. Teachers loved me, consistent grades could have been the reason or something else, I do not know but the fact remains that others were discriminated against.

2) In the cafeteria, the guy on the counter prepared our order as we walked in, and in the process, he delayed the orders of the students who had placed their requests, even before we entered the facility. Why, because my friends and I looked a certain way, which he considered, ‘good boyish’ - that is it.

I will not list, other examples because it is beginning to sound narcissistic.



Fast forward, in the corporate world too, rules do not change by much.

Workplace favouritism is real but I don’t think that I am qualified to criticise it, because I’ve been a direct beneficiary of it, for most of my work life. Many of my supervisors have given me a little ‘extra’ and some of my team members are apple of my eye too. So how do I critique it without being hypocritical?

The thing is that no opinion is free of biases! Yes, we talk about data-based decision making and of rationality but we often avoid to mention, ‘selection of data’. Criteria are rigged to favour 'the selected' by those in the position of power, it is an open secret. I’ve to confess 80% of occasions in my life I’ve benefited from nepotism & favouritism. The other 20% when I was on the wrong side, it felt ‘funny’ like ‘tax’ on income. Whether we like it or not; an awful lot gets predisposed on the day of birth. The family and place of birth, economic conditions, and social stability of the region you grow up in -these either favour you or stifle your chances of success in the real world.

Should we let this hazard continue unabated? No, change is overdue.

Whether I’ve been fair in handing out rewards is for others to decide, I can’t be on the jury of my own case. But I wish to say that I actively try to not let my disagreement with someone become the reason for me to disqualify the dissenter. I don’t know how well I do on it but I do try. But at the same time let us not forget that nepotism can put someone on the stage but to win an audience the feet on the podium will need ‘talent‘ -so, learn, read, work on your craft; that is the only way to shine.

Don’t stop at accumulating information, convert intel into knowledge by putting them to practice. Don’t worry, about those who do not like you, you don’t need them all. Money, affluence and privilege can buy ‘comfort‘ and thankfully comfort is not seen as ‘success‘ by most even those who are not particularly gifted by way of intellect. You gotta sweat in the gym and then get beaten blue in the ring a few times before wearing the belt that reads your name in GOLD. So go hustle!

DREAM BIG, plan for them and act. When things do not manifest themselves as per your liking- sing!

कल अगर न रोशनी के काफ़िले हुए प्यार के हज़ार दीप हैं जले हुए देखा एक ख़्वाब …

And then DREAM AGAIN!

Remember for every Trump there is a Barack Hussain Obama. The background is not everything. When the all-powerful British empire ruled, Gandhi rose to the occasion to take down the oppressor. But both, Gandhi and Obama could win because they were both qualified men. Merit might take time but it prevails in the end, Knowledge is the currency of our century and however unjust the world might appear, unprivileged Abdul Kalam works his way up the ladder ringing the wheels of knowledge when the opportunity presents itself.

In this unjust and unequal world, investing in your skill is the way forward. When learning shines distractions and difficulties like nepotism fade in the background.

Till we meet again.