Where did that idea come from?

I have often considered how and why people do the things they do, as well as the things they don’t do. One concept that nags at me is how receiving and seeking information has evolved historically. When I was in school we had to intentionally seek out information. We spent time in libraries, referencing encyclopedias and professional journals. We had to find articles written by people with credentials. Books and journals were printed by professional publishers that were held to a higher standard than we typically find today.

Today we receive information all day long, from all kinds of very influential sources. Some of those sources are so silent in their marketing that we don’t even realize that we are starting to change our behaviors. We receive information throughout our organic daily rituals and habits. We unconsciously bend our beliefs to belong to trends that seem normalized. Normalized based on artificial intelligence, geographical locations, and data distribution. We believe things we constantly see and hear: even if that information is false. We are fed one-sided information based on our buying habits and locations visited. We are essentially isolated to one sided views, information, and resources.

What does this mean? We need to be intentional about the time we spend on social media platforms. Many of the stories found on social platforms are false or misrepresented. This means we have to look into resources and references. Just because you read it on a Goggle search, does not mean you received all the relevant information. We must still do our part to ensure that we are not being misinformed. We should be open to opposing view points, and participating in spirited debates. Especially debates about topics we don’t understand. We also have to make sure we understand what we think we understand.

Take breaks from social media. Set boundaries on use of technology. Put your phone in a place that is not next to your bed while you’re sleeping. Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning. Have a morning and evening ritual that does not involve scrolling Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok or YouTube. Decide to listen to informative podcasts in morning, rather than talk radio. It is up to each and every one of us to take care of our personal well being. Too much exposure to social media can cause depression and anxious habits. Those habits can lead to unhealthy body chemistry. Please be mindful with your mindset. Be willing to look into information that is both exciting and upsetting. Look for reliable sources, and be conscientious of subtle information.