The red/blue pill debate is blurring, and is today threatening to transform into a uniform purple pill of bias and distrust.
The purple pill is the term I use to describe the people in my life who belief the unbelievable. It's the anti-vaxers, and 'trumpers' who accept the notion that mainstream media is corrupt and we have been fed lies for years. They've bought into the idea that everyone is corrupt, self-interest prevails and main stream media is a puppet for some invisible master.
One common thread they all share? Every time I'm with them, the majority of their attention is on their cell phones. They don't look up to see reality, their reality is on the device in their hands.
Their attention has been hijacked and predominantly what they consume through their cell phones. They don't like their jobs or reality. They see the world is unfair. They have a jaded view that it's a eat or be eaten world.
I've had nephew dig deep to find one line from one article validating his belief that wearing a mask is pointless. Where did he find it? It was one sentence in a post that took the reference out of context that he found on Facebook.
If they only knew the truth: That free information isn't free. It's paid for by advertisers who pay the companies that have algorithms designed to keep you on their sites (allowing them to display more ads).
Facebook and YouTube are the evil doers. Like the pharmaceutical companies that couldn't see the impact of oxycontin, they are blinded by the wealth that was produced. Money is intoxicating. The more we have, the more we want. It's a power trip. When we have a lot, we do everything we can to protect it. Our lives become consumed with generating more and it's what we use to justify our actions.
I am sure their were pharmaceutical reps who knew their claims were false on the addictive nature of their drug, but the hefty sales commission allowed them to justify their actions. Besides, if they didn't do it, someone else would. The only way to eliminate it would be to limit the reward altogether.
I think we all start with good intentions. But as we get a taste of power, we fall victim to the messiah complex.
"Ciaran O'Connor, of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, explains how confirmation bias is our tendency to prioritize or remember information that already supports our pre-existing opinions.
To sum it up: We believe what we want to believe.
So if we know confirmation bias exists, and we can't see it by the very nature of it's existence, why not use it to our advantage?