If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work. And by definition our democracy doesn’t work. We are entering into an epistemological crisis.”
Barack Obama
Information is only as good as the quality of your sources. Social media in particular is known for spreading false information. In fact, studies have shown that on social media false information travels wider and penetrates more deeply than true information.
People often forward memes or stories on Facebook or Twitter without checking their truthfulness or even bothering to read the article they are forwarding. This is usually because the picture or the article title reinforces their preexisting biases.
Reality can break in
People tend to return to the same sources of information regularly. Once they become comfortable in an information/belief bubble, they rarely stray from it. Once in a while, however, reality can break into one’s bubble and cause the psychological stress know as cognitive dissonance. When this happens people either change their minds or find stronger ways to deny reality.
Recently, fans of Donald Trump have become disenchanted with Fox News because some of the coverage supports the fact that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Fox News was even, surprisingly, the first network to call Arizona for Biden.
Choosing to ignore reality
According to a Reuters’ survey during the third week of November (2020), only 29% of Republicans believe Joe Biden rightfully won the election. Half of them believe Trump won but that systemic fraud stole the election from him. (!!)
Rather than face the reality of the election, many MAGA-nuts are choosing to hide their heads even deeper in the sand. Instead of facing the truth, they are turning to information sources that will tell them even more lies. They are actively seeking out media that are even more biased, distorted, inflammatory, and conspiracy-based than Fox News!
Better sources of disinformation
The viewership of both Newsmax and the One America News network (OAN) has risen dramatically since the election. Both of these networks have continued to promote Trump’s claims of election fraud.
Millions of Trumpkins have opened accounts on the conservative Twitter-wannabe “Parler” since Facebook and Twitter began their efforts to combat disinformation on their platforms. These people apparently prefer to get their disinformation without warning labels. (Note: Parler is funded by Rebekah Mercer, daughter of billionaire Robert Mercer, co-founder of the infamous Cambridge Analytica.)
Seeking the truth
When someone is faced with information that contradicts their beliefs or their current understandings, a person who is sincerely interested in discovering the truth will take the time to consider and investigate the new information.
This is how science works. If new incoming information seems to conflict with a current theory, it is understood that perhaps the current theory is wrong or incomplete. Scientists immediately get to work trying to improve their understanding.
People who deliberately ignore challenging new information, and go to extraordinary lengths to hide from it, are not interested in the truth. This is why I believe there is absolutely no common ground between Trumpism and the Church of Jesus Christ.
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Galatians 4:16
Sources: Jeffrey Goldberg, “Why Obama Fears for Our Democracy,” The Atlantic, November 16, 2020.
Robinson Meyer, “The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News,” The Atlantic, March 8, 2018.
Nicholas Carr, “Unfortunately, lies can trump truth,” (Number 3 in a collection of 35 short essays) “What Trump Showed Us About America,” Politico, November 19, 2020.
Brian Stelter, “Trump voters are flocking to a TV channel that claims Biden is not president-elect,” CNN, November 12, 2020.
Scot Tong, “Conservatives flock to Parler, social media app funded by GOP donor Mercer,” Marketplace, November 16, 2020.
Peter Maass, “As Trump Is Defeated, the Murdochs Try to Dodge Backlash for Fox News,” The Intercept, November 6, 2020.
Brad Brooks, Nathan Layne, Tim Reid, “Why Republican voters say there’s ‘no way in hell’ Trump lost,” Reuters, November 20, 2020.
Laura Romero, “‘Free speech’ social media platform Parler is a hit among Trump supporters, but experts say it won’t last,” ABC News, November 17, 2020.
Jason Murdock, “Newsmax Followers Skyrocket as Donald Trump Urges Supporters to Watch Channel Over Fox News,” Newsweek, November 29, 2020.
So, here in Utah, here in the LDS community, the Deseret News is the newspaper of record. Does it provide a reliable source of information to us? It does not because as I have repeatedly said we are a one party Republican Church. The D-News tries to be “unbiased” by treating the current political debate as between two equally suspect players. This is not so, as Trump is a nascent dictator. The D-News dare not consider such as it runs into our LDS society’s devotion to Republicanism.
Here’s another example. Mike Flynn, newly pardoned, has told Trump he should suspend the constitution and impose martial law. Was this reported in the Deseret News? Heck no, because the faithful must be protected from the really bad, bad Republican stuff. Yikes!
Mr. Jeppson, you make valid points and as a person not of the LDS faith but grew up in Utah I have had the opportunity to look at social matters from an outside perspective.
I’m almost sixty years of age but as a child of the 70’s growing up in Utah I remember where adherents of the LDS faith were more open minded politically.
This was reflected by those we elected to public office as I remember having two Democrat governors, a Democrat senator and several Democrat congressmen along with Republicans.
I have noticed a troubling shift in the LDS community with younger generations who have became not only more conservative in their political views but bordering on radical with a siege mentality.
This is a troubling trend as our state becomes more diverse in some respects yet more divided as well as many conservative LDS church members flee Salt Lake county south to Utah county where they feel more secure in familiar surroundings of majority White conservative LDS faithful.
Fear, hate and bigotry come from fear of the unknown and unwillingness to integrate into part of a society where people look different, have different traditions and not of the LDS faith.