Almost all social media platforms are now “tagging” posts that contain information that the social media platform deems “misinformation”. In some instances, social media platforms are banning the dissemination of certain information, opinions and stories, destroying the opportunity for the free exchange of ideas. This is all being done under the banner of “fact checking” and it is supposedly for our good. But, do we really need fact checking? I say we do not.
There is no doubt that millions of people around the world use social media to connect with other people, keep up with what’s going in the world, and get their news and information. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have come to dominate the way in which many people interact with each other and the world. Big tech companies like Google have done the same thing: when someone is looking for information on a person, topic or issue, millions turn to Google and plug in the phrase they are looking to understand more and wait only milliseconds for Google to give them a list of options to chose from. In short, millions of people have come to rely a very few big tech firms as their source of connection and information. Now, those same big tech firms are doing something many see as sinister and suppressive of free thought: they are censoring those with whom they disagree.
One would have to be a novice to social media–or the internet–to not understand that there is a lot of information “out there” that is incorrect, misleading, deceptive and simply false. One would have to be a novice to this world to not understand that opinions are that and nothing more and that opinions are often worth nothing more than the paper they are written on. Opinions are opinions and anyone who knows anything about the world knows that you assess opinions based upon their source and the credibly of the one espousing the opinion. But, big tech thinks that we need help in dealing the with the information we receive and process, even to the point big tech decides exactly what it that we will be able to assess for ourselves.
Through the 2020 election cycle, this issue of “fact checking” has become all the more important. For the first time in American history, the dissemination of information and opinions about the future of our nation was hindered and disrupted by third-party actors. Though I am not doing to document instances here–they are very easy to find and fact check for yourself–both Facebook and Twitter “labeled” posts by regular citizens and leaders of political parties, often “fact checking” the posts through partisan sources and determining whether or not the information contained therein was “true” or acceptable, as many saw the “labeling.” Shockingly enough, Twitter “labeled” the Tweets of the President of the United States and even shut down the Twitter account of a major newspaper, The New York Post (sure, there are details that need to be talked about in these instances, but it still occurred).
Here’s my perspective: we don’t need someone “helping us out” by censoring the content that we consume. Personally, I am offended by big tech and what they have done. As someone who has quite a bit of experience in this world, I am suspicious of everything and almost everyone. I do not take anyone’s opinion or statements of facts as true without evidence and without reviewing the sources myself. I am quite good at spotting suspect arguments and what appears to be deceptive reasoning. I am smart enough to know that any politician–of any party–is going to spin things to benefit themselves. I don’t need Facebook and Twitter or Google or any other company to new outlet to help me. I certainly do not want them keeping information from me because they think I am too dumb to figure it out for myself.
Is it the job of big tech or the media to make sure that everything out there is “true”? I don’t think so. First, as someone who believes in objective truth, I know that it is very hard to prove many things in this fallen world in which we live. There are some things we will never know for sure about the happenings of the world. Unless we can be there and see it with our own eyes, we are going to have to trust the representations of others to gather information and form opinions. That does not mean we don’t investigate and seek learn for ourselves . . . indeed, that is the entire point of this post. We must take responsibility for ourselves and the information we consume. We must become discerning and able to sort out what is reasonable and what is unreasonable, what tends toward truth and what smells like a rat.
What I have learned over the years is that, in a fallen world, where people have agendas and worldviews that are in conflict, one person’s “facts” are another person’s “lies.” That is why assessing the source of anything–and the worldview behind it–is essential for discerning Christians as we wade through the quagmire of ideas, opinions, “facts” and propositions. We should be skeptical of most things until we have proof. We should use the Scripture as our guide for understanding truth and the world around us. We should do our best to promote truth and to facilitate a world where the free exchange of ideas–even bad ideas–is the norm.
That’s the beauty of a free society: We get to decide. We get to take responsibility. We get to sort through the various opinions out there and we get to weigh the credibility of those around us. We don’t need–or we shouldn’t need–anyone doing those things for us. As mentioned before, I am personally offended that Facebook and Twitter thing I am too dumb to understand that what some people say is not true. They may believe that the millions of people on their platforms are “low information” but I, for one, am not. And I would like to think that must others are not, as well.
Any society that has its access to ideas and opinions censored–by anyone, but especially those with inordinate power–is a society that’s headed, quickly, toward tyranny. So, Facebook and Twitter and Google and any other person, leader, or entity that thinks you’re doing us a favor by “fact checking” everything, please stop. Give us a little more respect. After all, we are the ones who made you what you are by signing up for and using your platforms. We are not dumb and we don’t need a nanny. We don’t need you to restrict information. Rather, we need you to step back and let it flow and let those us out here in the “real world” determine what it true and right and factual and with our time and consumption.
So, do we really need fact checking? I say no. And I say no because I do not want to live in a world where “big brother tech” tells me what I can read, what I can say, who I can “follow” and what information is available to me. Let’s throw the “fact checkers” out and never look back. And know this: not everything you read or hear or see is true.