Introduction
The abundance of information people currently experience may be both a benefit and a problem. Because of the advent of social media and instant news updates, people have never had such rapid access to information from around the globe. This wealth of knowledge may, however, also be intimidating and perplexing. Separating the wheat from the chaff or locating trustworthy sources of information that offer accurate and fair reporting is difficult.
Unfortunately, the media has a well-known tendency towards negativity and sensationalism. This is because negative news frequently attracts more attention than positive news. As a result, news organizations sometimes overlook more encouraging trends in favor of covering stories about violence, crime, and disasters. The steady stream of unfavorable news might distort our perception of reality and lead people to assume that the world is more unstable and dangerous than it actually is.
Hans Rosling makes the case in his book “Factfulness” that our prejudices and assumptions might affect how people perceive the world. He states that people need to look for information from various sources to be open-minded and test their presumptions. Doing this may defeat the negativity instinct and single perspective instinct and gain a more profound knowledge of complicated problems. This essay will examine these impulses in further detail and show how, when people solely listen to the mainstream media and “experts,” they may shape their ideas.
The Negativity Instinct
A phenomenon known as the Negativity Instinct influences how people view the world. The human tendency to concentrate on bad news and ignore good things might lead to a distorted view of reality. In Chapter 2 of “Factfulness,” Hans Rosling describes how the media’s tendency for sensationalism and its need to draw viewers feed this impulse (Rosling 47).
The negative news is more likely to succeed in grabbing people’s attention than positive news, which is the media’s primary motivation (Dempster et al.). As a result, the press frequently covers crises, catastrophes, and conflicts while omitting or underplaying encouraging advances. This makes the world appear more unstable and dangerous than it actually is.
When people primarily rely on the media for information, their perception of reality may become skewed. For instance, individuals can assume that crime rates are rising when they have been down for years. Moreover, prolonged exposure to unfavorable news can cause emotions of stress, helplessness, and depression (Ternullo 1101).
It can also instill a sense of despondency and give individuals the impression that there is no value in making an effort to improve the world (Rosling 62). People must look for a balanced viewpoint in order to overcome their negativity instinct. This entails actively seeking out encouraging news items and appreciating the global advancements that have been realized (Olan et al.).
Furthermore, they must be aware of the media’s biases and consider other information sources. Therefore, only if certain actions are followed aimed at a more profound and correct study of the information received can people’s view of the events taking place in them be improved (Dempster et al.). An important aspect is that this action depends on the efforts made to find several independent sources of information that help form a complete, more independent picture of the world.
The Single Perspective Instinct
The single perspective instinct is a factor that influences how people handle complex problems. It is the tendency to ignore opposing points of view in favor of relying solely on one perspective or story to explain events. Hans Rosling outlines how this impulse may be strengthened by the media and experts who provide a biased picture of events in Chapter 8 of “Factfulness” (Rosling 163).
People risk oversimplifying complex issues and omitting crucial nuances when they rely solely on one viewpoint (Rosling 163). For instance, the media might focus exclusively on one side of a conflict or crisis while ignoring the complicated social, economic, and political factors that contributed to it. This approach can prevent them from developing a nuanced understanding of the world and lead to simplistic solutions to complex problems.
The single perspective instinct can also result in the marginalization of competing ideas and the suppression of minority voices. When people accept one viewpoint, they risk neglecting the opinions and viewpoints of people from other backgrounds and experiences (Ternullo 1098). Inequality and unfairness in society may be sustained as a result. People must actively seek out varied ideas and listen to a range of speakers in order to overcome the single perspective instinct. This entails questioning prejudices and presumptions and being receptive to different points of view.
It also entails realizing the limitations of our viewpoints and the fact that there are several opinions on difficult situations. By doing this, people may get a more complex worldview and try to find just and equitable solutions. However, it should be understood that the availability of diverse sources of information does not always guarantee the formation of an unbiased point of view (Rosling 164).
Finding opportunities for a deeper study of what interests us is necessary. This requires a person to have specific knowledge and skills to approach everything critically (Olan et al.). Therefore, it is much easier to trust a particular person or one specific source of information. However, it is worth avoiding getting into such a situation, and it is essential to make an effort since our worldview and independence in decision-making depend on it.
Conclusion
It should be noted that receiving information only from major media and “experts” can significantly impact how people perceive the world and the situation around them. This affects the actions and measures people take regarding the information they receive, which can have a significant impact on their emotional state. In other cases, this leads to a misconception of events or people, which is dangerous since the stability and resilience of social relations depend on it.
It is crucial to remember that the media and experts greatly influence how individuals perceive the world. It is essential to approach information critically and actively seek out other ideas since their perspectives and narratives can influence public opinion and guide governmental choices. Diversifying the sources of knowledge is one strategy for doing this. People might look for alternative news sources, study scholarly materials, and interact with others from various backgrounds to obtain a deeper grasp of complex subjects. By being receptive to many viewpoints and actively searching out material that challenges preconceptions, they may also question people’s prejudices and assumptions.
People may also endeavor to create a more compassionate and fair society by admitting the limits of their own viewpoints and the fact that there are other ways to comprehend complicated topics. This entails understanding how prejudices and presumptions might support inequality and working for equitable and inclusive solutions. In conclusion, people may overcome the negativity instinct and single perspective instinct by actively searching out various information sources, confronting prejudices, and keeping open to many points of view.
Works Cited
Dempster, Georgia, et al. “Scientific Research in News Media: A Case Study of Misrepresentation, Sensationalism and Harmful Recommendations.” JCOM, Journal of Science Communication, vol. 21, no. 01, Sissa Medialab. 2022, p. A06. Web.
Olan, Femi, et al. “Fake News on Social Media: The Impact on Society.” Information Systems Frontiers, Springer Science+Business Media. 2022. Web.
Rosling, Hans. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. 1st ed., Sceptre, 2023.
Ternullo, Stephanie. “‘I’m Not Sure What To Believe’: Media Distrust and Opinion Formation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Political Science Review, vol. 116, no. 3, Cambridge UP. 2022, pp. 1096–109. Web.