Communication

  • No one tells us what to do, so what do we do?

    The UK has multiple microcosms of activity related to human behaviour and belief about it. We call it the Prison System, the Police, the Legal system, etc.

    These are the main ones we can bring up because they’re widely understood. They’re also legitimate and heavily regulated throughout the UK.

    Yet, it comes to politics and we need to understand one thing. It’s that no one is able to address the UK public. It’s actually not possible. It’s not even possible for a leader.

    It’s been researched and found to be an impossibility. This means that the sum total of what we hear is all we’re going to get. It won’t be pierced by the sound of an announcer.

    Even in times of extreme hostility, it’s been seen that voices only follow voices and don’t take new, or singular, routes. We even therefore have a duty in our communication, and this how we do it.

  • Fake adverts and false economy

    In the online world, an increasing amount of data is unexpected. It’s acute on social media, but also on news outlets and other content-heavy sites that place adverts. This means separate organisations are having a say in the type of information users see.

    It’s part of our decision making that as we use digital devices we’re constantly opting in or out, depending on how we browse apps and websites, and making snap judgements on things we observe and spend time over.

    Images of deception

    An example is a distinction between a proliferation of doctored photos and images on social media, and their counterparts found in serious adverts on the same and other websites.

    An online advert

    It’s now becoming common to see politicians juxtaposed against unrelated information, and at times it looks as though a face is only used because it’s well known.

    Micro-aggressions

    These attempts may be seen as “micro-aggressions”, a sort of play off popular people and controversies that only register because of virality. Yet the intent is more insidious than many people imagine.

    A fake webpage

    As in other instances of criminal activity, it can result in real damage done to infrastructure and people’s genuine efforts. It’s not always clear, but it’s possible to see it first.

    Permanent damage

    The price to pay for enabling or tolerating it is the disruption of civil society. Those tricked into handing over cash, or allowing access to accounts, may have invited in more trouble than we know.

    A real fraudster

    The people responsible are not pleasant, are disruptive, and can be harmful in other ways. If it persists, our way of life is changed by unpleasant and wrongful paradigms of thought.

  • The point of disinformation

    The point of disinformation is not as obvious as it seems. In a classic situation, like during a gossip session, a load of information is exchanged that isn’t true. It’s full of exaggerations, half-truths, and outright lies.

    This doesn’t support a belief in a relay of facts that are newsworthy, but its purpose is to help us feel relieved of pressure, forgetful of our duties, and to lighten the mood in an otherwise dreary day.

    The purpose of disinformation is more subversive, but fits into this exactly. The idea is to spread dangerous lies but in an informal way. Its aim is to distort reality to fit a secret motive or a new idea that isn’t true.

    The instance of it isn’t the entire point at all. In my experience, it’s just part of a long period in which someone is convinced of an untruth. It may start with a false rationale and end in an assumption that’s misleading.