Today, we live in a post truth era, further amplified by the age of the internet. Wherein opinion by Vote or Likes becomes fact. We live in a world where David is the Goliath. Views and subscription is a measure of self worth.
When, the fourth estate, turns news into infotainment, where do we go for facts? Are all facts mere opinions? If so, I would much rather be viewed as the rest of the rationale species.
With the rise of populism, what we have got is populist leaders, Trump, Johnson and Modi. If we ignore the loud rhetoric and clamoring that surround such leadership, it’s arguable if their policies will help create a better world. If populism was the way forward we might as well put complex economic policies to vote on a Facebook page and count the likes. Where does it stop? Do we now let the pseudo experts on social media make policy decisions as against sage council of experts?
In this era of short attention span, the US army is outsourced to contractors, no different from contract mercenaries, taking away the pride of serving one’s nation. Presidential debate is filled with “fake news”. Trumping the elections aside, the headline missed in the last presidential campaign was Hillary getting away with lying in front of a congressional hearing. So now the intellectual elites are filled with cynicism. Where do we look for true leadership through courage, wisdom and integrity?
It’s questionable if we are the next generation by a process of Darwinian evolution or is the process reversing itself. Maybe history hasn’t lost its relevance.If we don’t look back we look forward without context.
Similarly, facts have not lost its relevance, for e.g. when you jump off a 50 story building your body does accelerate @9.8m/s2 times mass and you die by virtue of force of impact of resistance, this is a fact. On the contrary, unbridled populism could have you believe, you will fly away into the clouds in a pushpak viman (flying chariot), the laws of physics will reinforce what’s more likely to happen.
Has the pendulum swung, have the populists taken over? I hope not, thanks to those leaders who stand out. Elon Musk, if we look past his eccentric twittery, has launched a space program that makes the space accessible to one and all, and investing personal equity into the Hyper-loop, that will bridge great distances in minutes. Both endeavors were greatly ridiculed by popular press every time he stumbled. Yet, he has devoted the greater part of his savings and life to such ambitious goals. Illac Diaz who lit up the world through frugal innovation or Pad-Man Arunachalam Muruganantham who saved the Indian women the blushes, are also true real world inspirations. These few good men prove the cynics wrong and leave us with hope.
In this age when opinions and remarks turn into facts, how do we restore the fourth estate? The answer lies in objectivity. Objectivity, by definition is, not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. Sometimes facts and objectivity does declutter. Reporting through rational questioning must find its place. We must look for facts beyond the vote, through the quest for the truth. Truth is not a representation of popular vote, but at times, holds its grounds against popular opinion. Some of our true inspirational leaders have braved and risen above popular vote. To support such leadership we need a medium that does not function on TRP, Likes or Votes. The restoration of the fourth estate to uphold objective reporting. This will flourish leadership who champion truly selfless causes, and create room for those who aren’t always brash and and those willing to stand against popular opinion for the greater good.
AVALUECREATOR 