Outsourcing Discernment in An Age of Mass Information: Guest Column

Elon Musk recently found himself fighting the government of Brazil after his X social media platform was briefly banned there. Ironically, the censorship was marketed as a defense of democracy, i.e. the government “graciously” stepping in to save the people and the voting process from harmful disinformation. 

Of course, claims of disinformation is a common tactic often employed by the powerful to silence critics. Once limits are placed on what can be written and spoken, many other liberties are at risk. Indeed, there are real dangers of an unchecked flood of information, too. In the introduction to Amusing Ourselves to DeathNeil Postman described this tension by comparing Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984

Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. 

In the end, the explosion of information everywhere, all the time, has made us believe everything and nothing at all.  

And our reputation precedes us. There’s been understandable concern about Russian interference in the last few U.S. Elections, but their strategy reveals as much about us as it does them. Imagine a group of operatives from Moscow planning and scheming how to dismantle America, and finally one of them announces, “I’ve got it! Memes! We’ll use memes to interfere with their democracy.”  

Of course, it’s far more serious and strategic than that. In fact, it’s even more troubling how the interference from our international enemies resembles so closely the behavior of social media giants like Facebook and legacy media outlets. Shutting down conversations they don’t like and highlighting narratives they do is not the free exchange of information. 

Over 30 years ago in First Things, C. John Sommerville wrote an article entitled “Why the News Makes Us Dumb.” His answer was that the very idea of “news,” as the name suggests, prioritizes novelty. To stay in business, the media “have to make each day’s report seem important, and you do this primarily by reducing the importance of its context.”  

If we read philosophy, history, science, theology—regularly—we would be able to make much better sense of the day’s events. But we don’t. We’re too busy to manage anything but the News. 

Sommerville wrote this before the internet was much of a thing and social media even existed. At the time, he was complaining about archaic things called “newspapers,” but his concerns proved prophetic. If people were “too busy to manage” one daily news reading back then, how can we possibly make sense of news firing at us all the time and from every direction now? The answer is, we don’t. In fact, many don’t even try. We prefer our “news” pre-digested and delivered to our feeds. In other words, we have outsourced the hard work of discernment to others. 

Two-thirds of Americans get at least some of their news from social media, especially Facebook. Nearly three-quarters of X users rely on that platform for news. When Americans say they rely on “multiple sources,” they typically mean multiple social media sites, not a combination of traditional media and social media sites, or sources from multiple perspectives. 

If Americans weren’t regularly reading “philosophy, history, science, theology” in 1991, it’s even worse today. In 1990, 16% of Americans hadn’t read a single book in the previous year. In 2015, it was 27%. Last year, it was 65%. Most of what was read isn’t helpful anyway. According to USA Today, between 1993 and 2013, the best seller lists were dominated by self-help and young-adult fiction. Today, people are mostly just reading their phones

In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman presciently warned of a “vast descent into triviality.” Christians, because they believe that Christ is the truth and the Word, should always prioritize discernment, but especially in the information age. Otherwise, we risk being tools in somebody else’s arsenal.

Copyright 2024 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

Arkansas A.G. Joins Multi-State Coalition Condemning Hamas Attacks on Israel

On Thursday Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin joined a multi-state coalition of attorneys general condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.

The coalition includes attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The joint statement reads as follows:

“We are outraged by the terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas against Israel. Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization, decided to violate the laws of nations and nature in its bloody, pre-planned massacre of civilians.

Hamas murderers slaughtered hundreds of innocents—homebodies and concertgoers, Holocaust survivors and newborns. The dead are not just Israelis, but Americans and citizens of countries around the world. The images, videos, and stories still coming out since that raid are heartbreaking. Many of those videos and images were released by the perpetrators themselves. Kidnapping, torture, and rape violate the laws of all societies, of civilized states, and of war. Innocents both in Israel and in territory occupied by Hamas continue to pay the price for Hamas’s terrorist operations in Gaza and invaded Israeli territory. No sovereign nation can tolerate such terrorist operations within its borders.

We stand with Israel as it defends itself from this inexplicable and obscene violence. Israel’s remarkable resilience and restraint are exemplified by its longstanding commitment to minimizing civilian casualties while defending its people. We regret that Israel’s pursuit of justice and self-defense will cost lives. But responsibility for every life lost in this conflict can be laid at the feet of the cowardly Hamas leadership, residing in comfort in Doha, and their murderous servants. We pray for peace and safety for Israel and the rest of the Middle East.”

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Family Council Action Committee Releases 2023 Legislative Report Card, Names ‘2023 Statesman Award’ Recipients

The following is a news release from Family Council Action Committee.

LITTLE ROCK, AR – On Friday Family Council Action Committee released its legislative report card for the 2023 Arkansas General Assembly. The report card scored 25 laws passed by the Arkansas House and Senate. Legislative topics ranged from right-to-life and education to the LGBT agenda, religious liberty, and other issues. Lawmakers earned letter grades ranging from A-F based on how they voted on the bills. Lawmakers had to vote on at least 60% of the bills in the report card in order to receive a letter grade and to be considered for the 2023 Statesman Award. 

Family Council Action Committee President Jerry Cox said, “One of the most common questions I hear from people around the state is, ‘How did my legislator vote?’ That’s the question this report card tries to answer. This report card is not an endorsement of any candidate or political party. It does not measure any lawmakers’ integrity, commitment to their faith, work ethic, or rapport with Family Council Action Committee. It is only a report on how each lawmaker voted. We chose bills based on our core belief in promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values. These bills were chosen because they address abortion, religious liberty, the LGBT agenda, education, and other issues conservative Arkansans care about. Arkansans can see their lawmakers’ votes and grades online at ArkansasReport.com.”

Family Council Action Committee also announced the recipients of the 2023 Statesman Award. “This year we again awarded legislators for their hard work and good votes,” Cox said. “We commend these legislators for promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values during the 2023 legislative session.” Seventy-seven legislators received the award based on how they voted on 25 different bills. 

The 2023 Statesman Award recipients included 20 senators and 57 representatives:

  • Sen. Justin Boyd (R-Fort Smith)
  • Sen. Alan Clark (R-Lonsdale)
  • Sen. Steve Crowell (R-Magnolia)
  • Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs)
  • Sen. Jim Dotson (R-Bentonville)
  • Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock)
  • Sen. Scott Flippo (R-Bull Shoals)
  • Sen. Ben Gilmore (R-Crossett)
  • Sen. Kim Hammer (R-Benton)
  • Sen. Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs)
  • Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning)
  • Sen. Mark Johnson (R-Little Rock)
  • Sen. John Payton (R-Wilburn)
  • Sen. Clint Penzo (R-Springdale)
  • Sen. Jim Petty (R-Van Buren)
  • Sen. Terry Rice (R-Waldron)
  • Sen. Matt Stone (R-Camden)
  • Sen. Gary Stubblefield (R-Branch)
  • Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro)
  • Sen. David Wallace (R-Leachville)
  • Rep. Brandon Achor (R-Maumelle)
  • Rep. Wade Andrews (R-Camden)
  • Rep. Sonia Barker (R-Smackover)
  • Rep. Howard Beaty (R-Crossett)
  • Rep. Rick Beck (R-Center Ridge)
  • Rep. Mary Bentley (R-Perryville)
  • Rep. Mark Berry (R-Ozark)
  • Rep. Harlan Breaux (R-Holiday Island)
  • Rep. Matt Brown (R-Conway)
  • Rep. Karilyn Brown (R-Sherwood)
  • Rep. Rebecca Burkes (R-Lowell)
  • Rep. Frances Cavenaugh (R-Walnut Ridge)
  • Rep. Cameron Cooper (R-Romance)
  • Rep. Cindy Crawford (R-Fort Smith)
  • Rep. Matt Duffield (R-Russellville)
  • Rep. Les Eaves (R-Searcy)
  • Rep. Jon Eubanks (R-Paris)
  • Rep. Brian Evans (R-Cabot)
  • Rep. Lanny Fite (R-Benton)
  • Rep. Charlene Fite (R-Van Buren)
  • Rep. Jack Fortner (R-Yellville)
  • Rep. Tony Furman (R-Benton)
  • Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-Paragould)
  • Rep. Zack Gramlich (R-Fort Smith)
  • Rep. Delia Haak (R-Centerton)
  • Rep. Grant Hodges (R-Centerton)
  • Rep. DeAnna Hodges (R-Springdale)
  • Rep. Mike Holcomb (R-Pine Bluff)
  • Rep. Lane Jean (R-Magnolia)
  • Rep. Lee Johnson (R-Greenwood)
  • Rep. Jack Ladyman (R-Jonesboro)
  • Rep. Wayne Long (R-Bradford)
  • Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-Elm Springs)
  • Rep. John Maddox (R-Mena)
  • Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R-Centerton)
  • Rep. Rick McClure (R-Malvern)
  • Rep. Ron McNair (R-Harrison)
  • Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-Greenbrier)
  • Rep. Jon Milligan (R-Lake City)
  • Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R-Clarendon)
  • Rep. Stetson Painter (R-Mountain Home)
  • Rep. Shad Pearce (R-Batesville)
  • Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Clarksville)
  • Rep. Chad Puryear (R-Hindsville)
  • Rep. R. Scott Richardson (R-Bentonville)
  • Rep. Marcus Richmond (R-Harvey)
  • Rep. Ryan Rose (R-Van Buren)
  • Rep. Johnny Rye (R-Trumann)
  • Rep. Bart Schulz (R-Cave City)
  • Rep. Trey Steimel (R-Pocahontas)
  • Rep. Dwight Tosh (R-Jonesboro)
  • Rep. Kendon Underwood (R-Cave Springs)
  • Rep. Steve Unger (R-Springdale)
  • Rep. Steven Walker (R-Horseshoe Bend)
  • Rep. Jeff Wardlaw (R-Warren)
  • Rep. Carlton Wing (R-North Little Rock)
  • Rep. Jeremy Wooldridge (R-Marmaduke)

Family Council Action Committee is working with the recipients to schedule presentations of the awards to the legislators at the capitol in October. 

Family Council Action Committee is a conservative, pro-family, Christian 501(c)(4) organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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