This week: Real or Fake? Edited by: NaNoKit  
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How do you determine what is fake news, and what is real?
We live in an age where we cannot always trust what we see, hear or read. This has consequences.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter, then, is all about separating fact from (dangerous) fiction.
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Did you see that picture of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket? I thought it quite suited him. Fake, though, of course. Unfortunately, what is real and what is fake isn’t always obvious.
There have been warnings about fake news for several years now. We know that it exists. By that I don’t mean the fact that most, if not all media companies have their own agenda and, therefore, are selective in what they cover and how they cover it. That does need to be taken into consideration if one wants a genuine idea of what is going on in the world, but it isn’t fake news as such. Fake news does what it says on the tin – it’s false or misleading information dressed up as news. And it’s dangerous.
Fake news isn’t new. It’s been with us throughout history in the form of, for example, damaging stories about political opponents, or sensational tales told by politicians to get backing for a war. The problem today is that it’s easily and widely spread through social media and when it’s debunked the people exposed to it may a) never learn the true information or b) believe the truth to be the fake news. Meanwhile, because people are aware of the presence of fake news, they are suspicious of every bit of news out there. This is not a bad thing per se, though I know from experience that it gets old fast to have to double-check what you’re reading. In reality, it often results in people believing stories that are aligned with their own world view far more readily than that which challenges it. Regardless of whether or not it’s true.
To add to the confusion, the technological progress made in the field of AI is steadily making it more difficult to determine whether an image, or even a video is real or fake. In the coming years it may well be impossible for all but specialists in the field to know whether or not to believe what they see and what they hear. Right now, photographic evidence and especially video evidence tends to be pretty conclusive about whether or not something happened, or to confirm who said what. If we continue down the current path that won’t be the case for much longer.
And then there are the bots. Already accusations are thrown back and forth on social media about which accounts are real and which are bought. In other words – who are the real people and who are not? Who can you trust? Who can you believe?
The rise of AI can lead to fun and exciting projects, but it can also make life difficult for innocent people. For example, an artist who spent weeks working on a cover of a fantasy novel was banned from an art forum when they proudly posted the design – they were accused of using AI. Likewise, there are not a few students worried about being accused of using programs such as ChatGPT for their essays; if you have a similar writing style and use similar sources in your work, you may face accusations of foul play.
Where are we headed, then? What can be done? I’m honestly not sure. I’m not anti-tech. I have multiple laptops. A smartphone. A gaming console. The existence of the Internet has opened many a door for me, from my academic pursuits to my membership of this wonderful community. We have, at our fingertips, a creative outlet, a near-endless source of information, and a global interconnectedness that would have seemed impossible just a few generations ago. We need to be careful, however. Sad but true.
If we end up in a world where we cannot be certain if we can trust our own eyes and ears – at least when it comes to our digital existence, and in whatever form we absorb our news – it’s going to have an unhealthy effect not just on an individual, but also on a societal level. There is already too small an amount of trust between us human beings. Especially in a time when we face so many obstacles – obstacles that we can only overcome when we work together.
We must be on guard. Whenever a story appeals to our emotions – and especially when it plays on anger, and fear – it is important to check our facts, as much as we possibly can. Let’s not let fake news divide us. Instead, let’s work on overcoming what divisions already exist.
In most faiths, spiritual paths, and in most non-religious belief systems, too, we’re encouraged to do good. Be good. Help the other. To lift the other up, rather than drag the other down. Assist the vulnerable. Look after our planet. Keeping those values in mind is a helpful starting point.
Anything that stirs up hatred, and violence, and destruction must be questioned. Why is it doing that? What are the motives behind it? Who benefits? It’s unlikely to be us.
What’s real, and what’s fake? It isn’t always easy to figure this out, but by staying true to yourself and your beliefs you can filter out a large amount of bad content - as long as you don't automatically dismiss that which challenges your world view and are careful not to embrace something just because it's convenient.
Stay safe out there,
NaNoKit
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Spiritual: April 12, 2023 Issue [#11908]
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