This Media Buddhi newsletter is 10 issues old today, and I want to take a pause to see if I’m doing what I said I’d do. And to check if I’m headed in the right direction.
So.
Writing these past issues has clarified and reinforced the mission of this newsletter:
To help us stay sane and stay safe in a world of information overload.
To me, this requires focussing on at least four lines of enquiry:
How to deal with ‘fake news’, misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, lies, and bullshit. Basically, the entire spectrum that is information disorder or information pollution.
How the information ecosystem works. How the way its elements—media, politics, technology, policy, design and behavioural science—combine and recombine to create our lives.
How to create (lost) connections with people, reclaim conversations and deal with a polarized world.
How to keep ourselves secure online.
These four lines represent years of interest and seemingly random research on these and other topics. To me, they are all connected to each other in an organic way.
If there is an image that describes this mission and the problem of information overload, it’s this one.
Yes, this is an early version of the painting, The Scream by Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch. Later versions are more famous, like this one:
In this painting, a man, woman, or ungendered person appears to be blocking out the craziness of the world around them. It is an apt metaphor for the non-stop barrage of information, communication, news and entertainment we are subject to all the time.
I prefer the earlier version of the painting because it is an early draft. I regard this newsletter too as an early draft, a place where I pitch a few ideas and see if they make sense to you. If they don’t, then it means I have to do a rewrite or rethink. In that sense, you are an equal partner in this process. Already, I’ve received (and am grateful for) a lot of feedback.
Although this newsletter comes on weekends, it represents many hours of work through the week, all of which is possible due to my position as Director, Training and Research at BOOM FactCheck. (It was founded by Govindraj Ethiraj and is run by Jency Jacob, the managing editor. Karen Rebelo is the deputy editor.) Media Buddhi is our media and information literacy initiative. You can read about BOOM’s work, our funding, certification of incorporation and accreditation with the International Fact Checking Network here.
So if this newsletter is a ‘first draft’, aided and abetted by readers, then expect more ‘drafts’ on the BOOM website. Also coming up: videos and audio.
In a way, there is no such thing as a final draft. Each new version represents a further refinement of thought, though sometimes the original is the ‘best’.
The Scream’s final version is not really final. The image of the painting has been copied and re-mixed hundreds of times. It is so famous that it even has its own emoji!
😱
Postscript: The relationship between a reader and writer or journalist is a sacred one. The reader gives trust to the writer as an act of faith and the writer (hopefully) earns this trust and pays it right back.
Do write in with any suggestions, comments, feedback, thoughts or simply if you want to say hello. Please also consider asking your friends and family to sign up by forwarding this newsletter on email or sharing it on your social networks.
Happy Birthday! Some really fundamental principles necessary for today's living. Love these articles. You have earned my trust and look forward to reading them.
I also think it's important that children today learn about these principles and apply them too. While I share some of these with my 14 year old, could the writing be made relevant to kids?
Cheers..
A little late to wish you on this milestone, but just a note to say how reassuring it is to see that you’re approaching this beastly problem of disinformation with measured clarity and sanity, and immeasurable courage. Media Buddhi has all my support and best wishes!