DailyPost 1098
THE DEATH OF OBJECTIVITY
If we count the number of people fully or majorly involved in perception management to propaganda to fake news, the platforms engaged into it and new breed of people called forwarders and some talked about with greater respect and christened as influencers, they would hugely outnumber the number people gainfully involved in technology. The influencers are picked up not for objectivity they provide but the number of people who are likely to go through the post. The language of the posts on different social media platforms and on electronic media talk shows would give you a clear indication that we are moving towards the end of objectivity, if not achieved so far.
Achievement = need for achievement is the formula McClelland came up with decades back and the same formula can be neatly applied to objectivity today. Objectivity = need for objectivity. Human beings have been told to be rational since times immemorial. Though a presumption but it is extremely difficult to accept the loss of objectivity is happening without being consensual to it. Objectivity has never been discussed or taught and over a period of time we have reached a level where even for facts one is told that this is your opinion.
With a weak grounding in objectivity, vast majority are desperate to gain, earn, influence or manipulate, facilitated by anonymity of social media platforms in particular and media is general. Are the behemoth IT companies who run social media platforms wedded to objectivity? Can objectivity be left to the whims and fancies of these companies, sold to crash commercialisation? Why, how and what role should the governments play in bringing about sanity in the national discourse through ushering back objectivity.
The world cannot be an eternal slugfest changing the fate of human existence on a day to day basis. Rules of game has to be decided and legally mandated. Self regulation has rarely been successful and more so in areas / sectors and business enterprises where billions of dollars are for a killing. The addiction of the population ending up in dopamine, dollars or power cannot be the fate of mankind. Objectivity can be the only touchstone.
THE MORE THE FACTS ON THE NARRATIVE, THE MORE OBJECTIVE IT IS.
Sanjay Sahay