As we navigate through 2024, it is increasingly clear that this year is exceptionally important in the political and geopolitical landscape. Major elections are taking place in some of the world's most influential democracies: the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. At the same time, artificial intelligence is developing at an unprecedented pace, transforming industries and societies worldwide. We are also seeing protests and demonstrations on university campuses around the world around the Gaza-Israel conflict, reflecting deep tensions and divergent views.
Throughout history, there have been moments of profound change, when societies have been on the verge of transformation. I think we are in such a period again. Listening to Johan Op de Beeck's podcast on the French Revolution this week, I thought: despite technological advances and social changes, humanity has essentially not changed over the past two centuries. The challenges around rationality and disinformation in that turbulent period partly reflect our current times, dominated by social media, polarisation, growing inequality and fake news.
During the French Revolution, low literacy rates limited the spread of information. People often relied on the word of literate neighbours or friends, leading to a kind of “popular truth” based on locally respected figures. Today, almost everyone is literate, but we struggle with an abundance of information. Our brains, unable to process that constant flow, prefer to choose information that confirms our existing beliefs, thus avoiding the effort of critical and rational thinking.
At the same time, I read the book Infocracy by philosopher Byung-Chul Han. He describes how modern societies are losing their ability to think rationally, due to the overpowering influence of social media.
