(no subject)
Nov. 12th, 2017 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timeletsIt just occurred to me that the "ебанутость" of the current political discourse in the US is not accidental. For example, Bannon directly asks his supporters to be angry, i.e. be extremely (and negatively!) emotional rather than rational, when dealing with economic, social and political issues. In another example, in "Impossible to Ignore" Carmen Simon tells us that to be memorable, a message has to rely mostly on Pavlovian, reflexive responses. Jonathan Haidt also recommends "talking to the elephant," rather than the "driver." Etc.
Overall, the Twitter-driven news cycle reduces our ability to process political news rationally (Kahneman's System 2) and induces visceral partisan response (System 1). News websites and mobile apps stimulate engagement through inflammatory comments, trolling and polarizing views. The window of opportunity to comment and be heard is too short for deliberate rational thinking. As the result, political "ебанутость" rules because we get a strong amplification effect.
I don't see a good solution to the problem.
Overall, the Twitter-driven news cycle reduces our ability to process political news rationally (Kahneman's System 2) and induces visceral partisan response (System 1). News websites and mobile apps stimulate engagement through inflammatory comments, trolling and polarizing views. The window of opportunity to comment and be heard is too short for deliberate rational thinking. As the result, political "ебанутость" rules because we get a strong amplification effect.
I don't see a good solution to the problem.
