The late 21st Century began what is sometimes called “The Age of Information” with the rapid acceleration of information technology through the internet and other digital mediums. However, the proliferation of non-peer reviewed information (blogs, opinion sites, social media, etc.) together with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), has propelled us from an age of information to an age of disinformation.
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Today, anyone can be an expert on anything, everyone can publicly opine about everything, and digital-social matrices constantly put in front of us that which we want to believe is true.
Ancient wisdom warns us to be cautious with information, especially that which is communicated from unrighteous motive or twists or moderates the truth.
“A fool does not delight in understanding but only wants to show off his opinions. . . . The one who gives an answer before he listens — this is foolishness and disgrace for him. . . . The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it.” (Proverbs 18:2, 13, 15)
It is a depraved mind which falsifies, manipulates, or moderates information for personal agenda. And it is a depraved mind which seeks such information and believes it without investigating its truthfulness. Ancient biblical wisdom calls this “foolishness” and a “disgrace,” on both ends.
Open-sourced AI pulls from this public information to crowdsource answers and summarize issues. As with all tools of human ingenuity, that which has the potential to build also has the power to destroy. “Death and life,” Proverbs 18:21 declares, “is in the power of the tongue; and those who love it eat its fruit.” The distinction between this proverbial life and death is reciprocal, in both the tongue that provides information and the heart that loves it.
Here are 7 suggestions to help navigate The Age of Disinformation:
1. If the information seems hard to believe, it probably is.
2. If the information always lines up with your preconceived notions, seek diverging opinions and try to understand their points of view.
3. If a certain source (news platform, media outlet, blog, social media account, community member, etc.) regularly falsifies, manipulates, or moderates information, stop engaging that source; don’t let it poison your thoughts and don’t give it the satisfaction of being heard/read.
4. If you feel passionate about a subject, find primary sources and do the work of discovery.
5. Read the stories, not just the headlines.
6. Pay attention to the tone of the informant and not just the contents of the information.
7. If some topic negatively stirs your affections, give even more attention to items 1–6 so that what is true is not lost in what is felt.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tony Wolfe and originally published by Baptist Press.
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