A world of misinformed realists

How the information age ended optimism and pessimism and why we need them back

A cursory glance at people’s behaviour reveals one thing: we’re glued to our phones. A recent study by a team of anthropologists from UCL found that smartphone users relate to their smartphones in the same way as they relate to their homes. In essence, we have become “human snails carrying our homes in our pockets.” 

This phenomenon is understandable given what smartphones allow people to do. At any moment you can connect with (almost) everyone you’ve ever met, play games with cutting-edge graphics, or, most importantly, access (almost) all the written/recorded information in history. This mass of information explains why the average person spends a staggering 495 minutes a day consuming media (that’s over half of the average 939 minutes the average person is awake) and 86% of all news is consumed through smartphones, tablets, or laptops.

This near constant consumption of media and the availability of consumption channels should be creating informed and engaged citizens who know the history, the nuances, and the opposing view of every topic that takes their interest. However, the increasingly polarized political landscape shows that the grand hopes that came with universal access to information are far from realized. The information age has gone sour. 

Weighted algorithms and the fact that 6 in 10 people report to reading only news headlines has lead to the post-truth era we’re now wading through, where a well-designed website with a pithy one liner gives a conspiracy theory the same credibility, and wider readership than a Nobel Prize winning paper. 

At the heart of the problem is that the immediate availability of information, whether read thoroughly or not, has led to a widespread shift in people’s worldview. There is an increasing need to show that we know something about everything; to be armchair experts on every topic. Information accessed quickly and without depth gives rise to the illusion of understanding, we tend to believe we know more than we do. This, in turn, gives rise to the misinformed belief that we are truly seeing the world as it is. 

In essence, we all think we’re realists.

The end of optimism and pessimism 

Realist: A person who recognizes what is real or possible in a particular situation: one who accepts and deals with things as they really are. 

Reading the definition of realism appears to suggest that a world of realists is, essentially, a good thing. The challenge comes when the information we’re reading is inaccurate, weighted with existing biases, or consumed without depth – all of which are happening en masse today. Realism also only works if we have a shared definition of reality. With cultural influences and individual identities at play, not to mention algorithmically-imposed echo chambers, a concrete, immovable, agreed-upon definition of reality in any nuanced topic is an impossibility. Being a person is now, has always been, and will remain a case of navigating individual opinions. 

Yet the breadth of information available mixed with the endless news cycle forces people to form deep-rooted opinions on complex topics. They believe they have a firm grasp of a topic from days and weeks of skimming headlines. This self-perception of grasping reality in its fullness realist entrenches you in your viewpoint. It invalidates the opinions of others, who can be dismissed as radically misinformed. A realist’s point of view can’t be shifted without major re-education because a change in point of view equates to a fundamental shift in an individual’s definition of reality and the admission that they know less than they thought they did. 

An optimistic or pessimistic perspective on the other hand is built on a necessary admission of ignorance. An optimist accepts that they are biased toward a positive perspective and a pessimist to a negative one. This acceptance of bias leaves room for change; for new information. A debate might be frustrating when someone admits to an established bias, but it is possible. A realist, who truly believes they have peeled back reality and seen it for what it is, is impossible to debate. After all, if they know reality, what could someone else’s ‘flawed’ and ‘unrealistic’ perspective have to offer?

Universal access to information has led us down a road where we all know a little about a lot, while believing we know a lot about a lot (or at least enough to have an informed, realistic opinion on it). But knowing we don’t know everything is vital to reopening the lines of communication across different perspectives. 

Imagining better (and worse) futures

For anyone trying to imagine the future, it’s delusional to believe you can do so as a truly informed realist. In the past, blind optimism has led to flawed systems – like the internet – and blind pessimism continually leads to nothing. Today’s big challenge is that misinformed realism is leading to a world of deep divisions and anger, where everyone is so entrenched in their own perception of reality that there’s no room for anyone else’s. We need optimists and pessimists if we’re going to utilize the most human tool for making the world a better place: our imaginations. 

Imagination is the only tool we have for the unknown and the future is the great unknown – with change the only certainty. Each day we’re all guessing, hoping, fearing for the future. It’s important that as we do this individually and collectively that we’re aware that our predictions are an act of optimism or pessimism. Optimism gives us an image of a world we should strive for, and pessimism gives us early warning for a world we should avoid. 

To move forward and find unity we must accept the limitations of what we can know; accept our own ignorance; accept that accessible information doesn’t mean universal understanding. It’s time we left our new ‘homes’ and came out of our shells.