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Choosing social media truth is dangerous

The term “cancel culture” is increasingly part of the mainstream lexicon. It is by no means a new term.
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The term “cancel culture” is increasingly part of the mainstream lexicon.

It is by no means a new term. The ability of groups to suppress viewpoints or punish those with objectionable views has been a hallmark of human interactions for as long as we have existed.

Consider our ancestors for whom living in a tribal settings was critically important to survival and reproduction. Speaking out against the tribal leaders or the dominant viewpoint could result in being ostracized. Living by yourself in prehistoric times was pretty much a death sentence.

Or the Qin Dynasty, where speaking ill of the Emperor was a fatal mistake. Simply disagreeing with authority could result in execution. Dissidents were not welcome.

Or the Middle Ages when the Church exercised control over much of Europe. Most people have heard of the trial of Galileo Galilei in which he was charged with heresy because he dared to propose Earth was not the centre of the universe and instead orbited around the sun. He was imprisoned and threatened with execution unless he recanted. Given the choice between denying his beliefs and death, he chose to live but is said to have uttered “It still moves” as he left the docket.

Throughout history, people have paid a price for uttering or publishing politically unpopular viewpoints. It still is happening in many totalitarian states around the world where people are “disappeared” for making too much noise. Consider the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi or the attempted assassination of Alexei Navalny. And not just individuals as recent genocides have demonstrated.

There is and always has been a price to pay for exercising free speech. Yet affording newspapers, television programs, and internet providers the right to free speech is critically important to sustaining our democracy. The right to free speech is enshrined in our constitution.

Unfortunately, the bastion of free speech, journalism in all its forms, has been under attack for as long as there has been journalism. Right wing and left wing politicians – and even those straight down the centre – perceive media as being biased.

Not just politicians. Most people feel some news outlets do not always or ever represent their point of view. (This is why these columns are called “As I See It”. They are no one’s point of view but my own and readers are more than welcome to disagree with anything or everything I write!)

This perception of media bias is exacerbated by the consolidation of media outlets into corporate conglomerates with an agenda. Fox News in the United States is a prime example. Indeed, they have gone so far as to admit they are not in the “news” business but in the “entertainment” business instead. Their objective is to garner viewers, which allows them to ask for money from advertisers and subscribers.

One could make similar claims with regard to just about every media outlet but the reality, at least for people in our part of the world, is the news we get is relatively unbiased. Or maybe a better way to say it is it often annoys people on both sides of the political spectrum. There is an old adage that says if you aren’t vexing somebody, you aren’t doing it right.

But does our local media exhibit a “cancel culture” mentality?

Not as far as I can tell. 

Letters to the editor are (mostly) printed verbatim. Columnists can harangue city hall. Journalists can write in-depth articles and report on cost overruns or other forms of malfeasance without fear of reprisals. And almost any viewpoint can find an outlet somewhere.

Which ultimately brings me to my point (sorry it took so long).

With the proliferation of social media, the “almost any viewpoint” has turned into “any viewpoint.” If you carefully read mainstream media, it is always careful to separate people from actions and stick to the facts. Not so with social media.

Social media is unfiltered. It allows online bullying. Anonymous trolling. Outright lies. Organizations can spread misinformation. And it seems to be a home for every form of conspiracy theory.

Social media has opened a can of worms. And not surprisingly, many people and organizations are taking advantage of the opportunity to use the worms to bait followers.

The past four years have demonstrated just how powerful social media is at altering worldviews and manipulating large groups of people. Large segments of the United States still believe the last election was a fraud and although Congress certified the results, President Biden didn’t win the election.

How is that possible? Because they believe mainstream media is not telling the truth. After all, they read about it on Twitter or it was shared through Facebook.

If we value democracy, we need a free and fair press. At least that is the way I see it.