Celebrity gossip, fortune-telling and superstitions are the original forms of fake news, but now it’s increasingly widespread. In every field from science to world affairs, it’s troubling to see. People who are familiar with reality can’t understand why it’s popular–in a low-trust world, why would people engage with made-up noise disguised as information?
The irony is that it’s easier to trust fake news. It’s consistent, simplified, coherent and predictable, all the things that humans look for when we’re seeking solace.
The challenge for all of us is that while it’s easier to trust in the short run, it ultimately disappoints.
The trust we earn with complex and consistent analyses of reality takes more effort, but it’s worth more in the long run.
What sort of trust are you selling? And what are we buying?