TRUTH BEFORE TRUST

 “Truth before Trust”

In the history of mankind there has never been such an awareness of “Fake News” as there is today. It makes me question everything I read and see.

Before I open an E-mail I have loaded my “Bullshit Detector” in an attempt to keep my money in my wallet by weeding out the scams and phishing attempts. When I open Tik Tok or any other social media platform I am keenly aware of the number of fake photos and videos trying to draw me in just so their hits increase to the level where they are making an income. We tend to blame the establishment and the rich elites for fake news, but the bulk of it is done by people just trying to make a buck. Greed has crippled our morality. We are our own worst enemies.

The rich elites have always controlled the overall narrative. They lie about who our enemies are. They exaggerate threats to scare us into compliance. They control mainstream media and manipulate us with fake narratives on every screen and radio. They own the corporations that are only responsible to the shareholder and will increase their earnings, regardless of the impact on us or our world. They buy off our politicians and have them change laws to benefit themselves, regardless of the impact on the common man. All motivated by greed. All to our detriment. All lies.

The algorithms used by social media twist our minds. They tailor your experience. They show you more of what you have looked at in the past and exclude things that you don’t have a history of viewing.  They put you in the same room as other like-minded people. If you momentarily looked at a video of a UFO they will tailor your experience so that you see similar videos frequently. The machine has no morality. It only has one job.  It wants to keep you on the platform longer, so you see more ads, and the platform makes more money.

The algorithms can’t differentiate between the truth and lies. It is not looking after your best interests. It will make you a member of a fringe group. It will polarize your thinking. It will manipulate you into believing that what you are seeing is what everyone else is seeing.  “I’m OK because everyone else believes this too, right?” “All my online friends believe Barney the dinosaur is real. It must be true, right?” Slowly over time it will make you something you are not. Your only defense is understanding the danger and not trusting anything you see or hear.

I believe things need to change. The manipulation of people for profit needs to end. I am worried what the polarization of our society is going to result in. I also believe we can make a difference.  Use your mind. Think for yourself. Weed out the madness. Find the truth. Speak the truth. Most importantly, discuss the truth with other people. Teach them to do the same. And maybe, just maybe, have a little fun doing it.

The Flat Mars Society is a platform that will help you get the conversation started. Your coworkers will ask about your coffee mug with “Truth before Trust” at the forefront. The membership T-Shirt worn to the pub will generate questions. Healthy discussions will follow. Awareness is the key. We can make a difference in the world. We just need to work together. 

“Truth before Trust”