“ALWAYS leave it to professionals.” This was one piece of advice I heard so many times from a good friend of my mom, Ate Inday. During one time in the 90s, she chanced upon the city’s top official directing traffic in one clogged intersection downtown, while we were on the way to her office. She had said ‘Now I’m confused on what he really wants to be, a mayor or a traffic cop.’ something to that effect. Then, she followed this up with the quip, what I’ve already told you. Leave it to professionals. The developments of today remind me so much of her advice.
What one only needs to do is choose any topic or issue online, then try to read up on the comments and the adjoining threads that accompany it. You would be surprised at the number of did-you-know information that are readily-available.
While information, in this age of Google and Wikipedia, has indeed become a levelling reality that means it’s readily available to all, what is also true is that it has become a weapon of choice at disseminating hidden agenda and fake news. As such, the posts, along with the comment section, have become a favorite battleground where all these are scattered, as in both a bait and a trap.
Consider the present time, where everyone’s idea of a standard normal existence has been put on indefinite hold, while our lives are threatened daily by a deadly virus. As a result, the internet has predictably become our dominant source of information. Only problem is, information which we seek, comes in at us mixed with questionable data which always seem to fire from all sides and come at awkward angles. This may be a nuisance perhaps for those who know better, but it is a minefield for those caught unaware.
On how we accept new information, there’s a study that shows we are liable to favor or accept data that are provided by either a family member, a person we know, or someone of credible background. Also, areas we know little about become easily-acceptable when coming from these groups.
This is where Ate Inday’s advice comes in. Leave it to professionals. If information about negative findings on vaccines or Covid come up on your page, try asking a doctor. If someone offers you a steal-of-a-lifetime in real estate, call an expert. Do not share it with friends and seek their take on the matter. If indeed, what you’ve received were disinformation, you have become complicit to the whole sham.
One time, I confronted a friend living in the US and asked why he constantly sends me via direct message, often contradicting articles on a variety of subjects, from vaccines and covid, to religious and raunchy. He merely laughed and told me he was merely passing them on, sharing it with us. Truly, the new experts’ perfect soldier.
Truly, in the internet today, judging from the wide-ranging opinions that go in all directions like shotgun blast, it is always best to get professional advice or better, second opinion.
