Mari K. Eder's Blog, page 10

The Information Apocalypse, Part VIII: Civics Lessons

Studies, polls, and surveys continue to demonstrate that Americans’ trust in democratic and civil-society institutions is at rock bottom. Given that fact, how can Americans approach upcoming elections with any semblance of confidence in the voting process and even in the outcome of election results? Fears are multiplying: whispers of election interference by Russia or China, or both; voter fraud via mail-in ballots; voter registration restrictions; and pandemic-driven fears about in-person voting. Rumors and disinformation abound. It could be enough to make ordinary citizens throw up their hands and stay home, heads under the blankets until the whole sordid mess is over and done with. Let someone else deal with it all. And besides, one vote won’t really matter, especially if the whole system is suspect.

Information Apocalypse, Part VII: Competence and Ethics

Just days before the Davos International Economic Forum in January, global public relations firm Edelman Communications released the 2020 Trust Barometer. The result showed trust in institutions at record lows. CEO Richard Edelman described the results as presenting a paradox between increases in economic performance and the lifting of large numbers of people out of poverty against the record low trust in institutions. He attributes several factors such as concerns over “corporate malfeasance, government corruption, [and] fake news.” The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has done little to allay these concerns. If anything, perceptions of incompetence and a lack of ethical behavior appear to have gotten stronger.

Skepticism and mistrust have been growing despite generally good economic news over the past several years. This lack of trust is at the heart of the Information Apocalypse, now deeply embedded in all democratic institutions.

Information Apocalypse, Part VI: Paranoia and Privacy

A major facet of the Information Apocalypse is the cumulative erosion of personal privacy. The Surveillance Apocalypse has been sneaking up on us for several years and continues to grow, aided not only by personal preferences and business advances but also by the yin and yang of technology’s convenience and opportunity balanced against its opposite, the risk to privacy and the threat to personal identity.

The Department of Defense (DoD) kicked off 2020 with a ban on the popular Chinese app TikTok. The app exploded in popularity in 2019, with its short video format and appeal to Gen Z users. The Army even used it as a recruiting tool along with Instagram and other social media platforms as part of its new recruiting strategy, the ‘Warriors Wanted’ campaign.  The Army believed 30-second videos and memes would be more effective than television commercials at audience penetration.

Information Apocalypse, Part V: The Fourth Estate

The Fourth Estate is in a state of turmoil today, and traditional media is stagnating. Part of this state of affairs is the result of changing perceptions. The news media continues to be viewed as the most mistrusted institution in the world. But now, the problem facing the media has gone to another level. There is a broad lack of trust in media as a profession.

To take that one step further, there is considerable debate whether journalism even is a profession. The common frameworks of professions and professionalism legitimize this question. In his essay The System of Professions, Dr. Andrew Abbott discussed the evolution of a number of professions such as medicine and law. He termed journalism a ‘permeable profession,’ characterized by frequent movement between journalism and public relations with considerable influence exercised by each side on the other. Meanwhile, journalism is neither regulated nor credentialed. There are no annual training or continuing education requirements and no body of accepted practice similar to those of the legal bar or medical associations. There is no single code of ethics, and ethical standards are unenforceable. Abbott noted that there is also no exclusion of those who lack journalism education, training, or adherence to a code of ethics.

Kozmetsky Center Briefing Series: The Information Apocalypse and Beyond

In the 21st Century’s Information Age dawned with hope and renewed promise for freedom of speech, expression, and global connection. The internet flattened the world, offering unlimited access to information, unsullied by the filter of news media and the interpretation of pundits. This launch was doomed from the start. The new information domain unraveled quickly, driven by bullies, trolls, bots and lies, with a helping of propaganda, false narratives, disinformation and more. Travelers in this new domain have been exposed to the gifts of multiple conspiracy theories, ideas based on false science, access to pornography, subjected to criminal actions, and found themselves in sites that foment hate.

West East Journal of Social Sciences: 2019, Volume 8 – The Information Apocalypse

The Information Apocalypse is evidenced by the unraveling of trust in American institutions. This phenomenon is
affecting not only democratic institutions, their products and outputs, but also news, information and most critically,
ideas and values. The decay in public trust goes beyond institutions and also affects individuals. Personal data and
identity are at risk. At the same time, the ever-expanding role of technology is not only omnipresent in our lives, it
also acts as an accelerant, speeding up not only change but our abilities to keep pace and to control our responses.

Afghanistan: What now?

President Donald Trump’s cancellation of peace talks in Afghanistan swept Washington, D.C., Kabul and Doha like an earthquake. While much of the coverage focused on Trump’s decision to invite senior Taliban officials to the presidential retreat at Camp David, the more important story is the fact that a 10-month old diplomatic process between two long-time adversaries is now in jeopardy of collapsing completely. 

The process is very much in flux at the present time; indeed, some of Trump’s own national security advisers appeared to be caught off guard. Whatever prompted Trump to pull out of the prospective sit-down, however, is a sideshow to the main story. And the main story is this: Nothing over the last several days has changed the reality that a diplomatic process remains the only way the war in Afghanistan will end.