In our modern world, it’s astonishingly easy to start an outright lie, morph it into a disputed combination of half lies and half truths and then into almost-truth that many people readily believe in. Why does this work?
Because the lies or opinions are often outrageous, in the beginning, the lies make shocking headlines and get the initial attention (spark). Another way the nascent lies can get critical oxygen is when the lies align and confirm to pre-existing biases that populations may have. The third reason lies can survive in early stages is when there is simply no way to disprove a lie definitively. And then there is always the easy-to-use method of paid advertisements to spread lies if you have the money. Finally, the truth can sometimes be so boring that we gravitate towards the lie because it just makes a better story – it gets the adrenaline flowing.
The issue of widespread lies is not a new one in human history. But today’s hyper-connected world makes this problem worse. Attention has self-feedback loop where the initial attention leads to even more attention. Everyone hears about the outrageous lie from multiple sources. Gurus and opinion columnists spring up trying to cash in on the attention. Hearing about the lie from so many sources, many of which we trust, in so many colors and in so many variations slowly normalizes the fringe idea or the lie in our minds and in our psyche.
Humans are hardwired to seek safety of the herd. When we see much attention being given to lies and see people starting to believe the lie, the lie starts becoming mainstream and a disputed half-truth. To seek that safety of the herd, we subconsciously bias ourselves towards that lie, wanting to believe it because everyone around us believes in it.
That’s how outright lies spread and quickly become mainstream half-truths, assisted by the pitfalls of human brain and today’s technology.
