WTF is happening?
It’s been an emotional whiplash of a week. We buried my Dad on Monday; on Wednesday I found out my first editor, without whom I would never have realised my dream of becoming a journalist, had died at the weekend; and then of course, there are the dreadful riots.
Yet, while it has been a difficult week, it has had it’s bright spots: I took my children swimming at the same pool I went to when I was growing up; I watched them play with their cousin in my parents’ garden; and I saw my own cousins for the first time in 20 years.
There aren’t riots in Cambridge. It’s hard to believe that they’re happening elsewhere in the country. It’s odd to be enjoying the summer and feeling that is somehow wrong.
But then we all lead such different lives now.
The news sources I pay attention to are not necessarily the news sources others pay attention to
When you go on YouTube or any of the social sites, you assume what you’re seeing is the same as everyone else is seeing, but of course it’s not. It’s tailored to us by what we have clicked on before, by the sites we have visited. Linger too long on something, even if it’s not of real interest, and you will get more of the same.
It’s easy to see how you can get led down a path of believing a world view very different from other people’s and it’s all hidden behind closed doors, in your home, on the phone in your pocket.
Social media and bots have made it easy to amplify messages online.
AI has made it even easier to create mass messaging. You can spin out whole articles, and reams of social media posts, including fake graphics and videos in minutes.
If you’d ever seen how gleefully people share fake posts about free CenterParcs holidays without checking the validity of the account promoting them, you’ll know how quickly false information can spread.
Thankfully, as I write this on Thursday, the violence expected overnight has not materialised. Hopefully the government’s swift action to get people involved in riots prosecuted has led to people thinking twice about going out and causing trouble.
But sadly, that doesn’t mean people have stopped thinking these abhorrent thoughts, or that racist material is no longer being shared.
The way public discourse takes place is changing
I can’t remember the last time I watched the 6 o’clock or 10 o’clock news. I barely ever watch live terrestial TV. I do keep an eye on politics but I know many people say they don’t.
At the same time, the number of social platforms is increasing. Each one privately owned. Privately owned media is nothing new of course. From the pamphleteers to national newspapers, all have editorial independence and as a journalist, the fact no-one could tell us what to print (or not print) was a matter of principle. But that independence comes with responsibility. We did our best to provide a fair and balanced view of what was happening.
Owners of social media sites, or search engines, the people who run algorithms which determine what you or I see online, do not have to uphold any kind of moral or social code.
There’s a very good (and scary) discussion about this on The News Agents’ episode Starmer vs Musk: the incredible first battle of the Labour government.
So some of these conversations are happening plain sight, on platforms where other voices are deliberately tamped down. Other conversations are happening on platforms where they are hidden. Some people are being served content that other people do not, and as they consume that content, they get taken further down a path away from those around them.
We also know AI platforms contain biases. They can’t think for themselves. They spew out aggregated information based on what they have been fed which means they perpetuate stereotypes and promote some kinds of people while dismissing the lives and experiences of others.
What does all this mean for platforms like Twitter?
Do we stay and try to add balance, knowing our voices will be deliberately suppressed? Or do we leave so it’s a less attractive proposition for advertisers?
When Brexit happened, I wondered why people on the far right were much better at getting their message out than others. I’m asking that question again now. Is it that we think some things don’t need to be said? Is it that we don’t play the amplification game? Is it that we are better advocates for free speech than those who claim free speech is under attack and so we let views we disagree with be heard?
I think we need to be much better at speaking up. At saying what we think is obvious. And at talking about the benefits of migration.
We also need to be writing to our MPs and saying what we think about issues like immigration and refugees. If all MPs have is a postbag of letters from people screaming that immigration is a problem, then they will campaign on that. They need to hear the other side of the argument.
Meanwhile, internal comms specialist Advita Patel, from CommsRebel, has put together a list of actions workplaces can take to support employees.
I hope you have a safe, and stress-free week.
I am so sorry your week has been so bad. Even with the good bits, grief is a big bag of shite.
Someone told me once that it is love, with no place to go.
I was relieved about Cambridge too. My partner works in a shop there and they were all on high alert for trouble. Even now they have removed anything that could be flammable from the shop.
I hope you get some time to heal over the coming months. It is important to let your body deal with things the way it wants to, and allow yourself space and time if that is what you need – or to keep busy if that is what you need. There is no right or wrong, there just is x
Hi Freya, thanks for reading. I’m glad things seem to have calmed down now. And yes, I’m just taking each day as it comes and not beating myself up about it. Take care, Rachel.