No facts, only interpretations.
Our world is not as it seems.
That sounds suitably cryptic and slightly conspiratorial.
Since there is a growing body of scientific work on how our brains perceive subjective reality - science man everyone likes - Brian Cox said it neatly "everybody has a different perspective on life, and none of those perspectives are right. They are just multiple perspectives".
That leads me onto the problem. Remember the 'post-fact' society? I think we are now seeing more and more examples of its impact.
I attended an Economist year ahead event and asked Tom Standage if it didn't seem like a bit of a coincidence that the world has lurched into unprecedented volatility immediately after a global pandemic [he agreed that it probably wasn't a coincidence]. A pandemic that saw most people shifting almost exclusively to online, for pretty much everything. Locked-down elderly were particularly vulnerable.
I'll use America as an example, because I think it is representative of most developed economies (in this context). Just take a look at the graph; American consumer sentiment typically follows the economy, until after the pandemic. Sentiment is now worse than objective reality.
America is in the throes of a media and politically stoked 'culture war'. According to multiple national surveys, the average American is more tolerant than ever. There are clear divides and polarities, each of which can be exploited for political agendas; a core truth remains if you care to look.
According to Simon Anholt Americans have downgraded their own cultural heritage from 2nd in 2019, to 9th in 2021 and 23rd in 2022, which he describes as a "catastrophic collapse in national esteem". Whilst there are reckonings to be had about national history, citizens appear to be believe that America now sucks, like use of self-defeating hyperbole like "doom loops".
The creator economy doesn't exactly help form people's world-view, from the populist influencers that will say or do anything for clout, to the pseudo intellectual celebrities and podcasters that eloquently distort the truth, promoting freedom and speech and alternative views, with a complete absence of fact checking for their ardent fans.
An article by FT said "the news is depressing - but data can help us" - imagine if there was a national progress dashboard with key metrics included from GDP growth and budget deficits, to hospital waiting times and education results etc. Citizens could push political parties for more than hollow promises and jingoism.
Representing the voice of business and brands, I think this descent into distortion revolving around post-pandemic online lives, should raise a dire need for self-reflection; what can I do to reduce the harmful excesses of the attention economy? Are there ways that my organisation can reduce reliance on exploitative tactics for marketing ends? Do we need to gameify this experience for users to be interested?
A few brave souls make a difference, even when it appears otherwise.