Don't Go Ballistic

I’ve been rethinking my approach to this newsletter (reminder to follow me on IG for the latest!), and I think the time might be right for a new series…I think I’ll call it:

Don’t Get Hoodwinked By The Headlines

Okay fine, we’ll call that working title. But hopefully the sentiment is still clear. I’m sick and tired of everyone reading a headline (or tweet, or seeing a meme) and claiming they actually know what’s going on in the world. 

And this week the particular headline that set me off was the latest about the trial of the assassination of Charlie Kirk:

I experienced a real surge of anxiety when I read this headline. And not just because it’s literally designed to do exactly that. But because this topic in particular has had my spidey senses tingling for months. Not only did those of us too slow to exit the video literally watch this man get murdered in HD. But the aftermath has dragged some of even my most pragmatic friends right to the edge of the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. 

And I just knew that this headline was going to make it so much worse. So what did I do? I clicked through to the article. Then I googled a few more to make sure I felt like I had sufficient information to get my own mind right. And I realized just how misleading all of the headlines were. 

Then I sat there in frustration. Because I realized how few people would take the time to do that. 

And who can blame you? There’s so much going on in the news every day that it’s literally impossible to read every single article in full, form a cohesive opinion, and have time for a quick coffee let alone a full-time job or some semblance of a life. 

I get it, I really do. It’s complicated. It’s overwhelming. But if you’re going to claim to be an informed citizen then you need to start somewhere. And what better place to start than the headlines?  

By now we’re all aware that we’re being manipulated by our own social media algorithms (right? If this is news, maybe we need a separate article). Sometimes it feels like we’re all reading from completely different — or on the flip side, the exact same — playbooks of information. But it’s more than just the algorithms…it’s how we’ve adapted the way that we consume information in the first place. 

The addictive nature of social media (see the recent landmark ruling out of LA) has transformed our attention spans, our ability to digest complex topics…not to mention our critical thinking skills. 

And of course it has! We’re being barraged with headlines and images detailing one atrocity after another. It feels like we’re being berated constantly to do something — sign a petition, donate to a GoFundMe, repost an infographic. Then left feeling hollow after we do because deep down we know it’s just a drop in the ocean. So then maybe we take a step back. But then it feels like we’re part of the problem. Likely hiding behind your privilege. 

What used to be a source of mild entertainment and connection with our friends is now a bigger source of anxiety than enjoyment.

So what do we do? We click through what we don’t want to deal with. We skim. We avoid. But we rarely log off. Because it’s just too addictive. 

Fundamentally I think we all do really want to be informed! We want to be good neighbors. Informed countrymen. Vessels for hope and agents of change. The good kind…

So it’s only natural that we’ve all gotten into the habit of skimming the headlines. But what happens is that when things are amplified enough times in our particular bubble of the internet, we start to believe that they’re accurate. One of my personal heroes Daniel Kahneman (okay, maybe not hero, but I’m a major behavioral science fangirl) digs into the underlying biases that fuel beliefs like this in his incredible book, Thinking Fast and Slow, alongside Amos Tversky. You should totally read it if you’re interested, but there are some basic heuristics (or rules of thumb) that he encourages people to keep in mind, in particular about some of the more common biases — many of which are at play here: 

• Confirmation Bias: if you believe something to be true, you will pay more attention to information that aligns with your belief, and instinctively discount things that run counter to it

• Frequency Bias: when you learn or notice something new, suddenly you begin to see it everywhere with alarming frequency — as if it appeared just for you (when in reality you just started noticing what was already there)

• Overconfidence Bias: overestimating our own abilities or knowledge, often leading to poor decision making

Let’s start at that last one — overconfidence. I’m sure there are many of you who’ve been reading up to here (kudos for making it this far) and are thinking to yourself, “sure, I can see how some people could fall into the traps you’re describing…but not me…I’m an intelligent individual who doesn’t get sucked into social media rabbit holes.” 

Maybe you’re right! Perhaps you’re one of the few who is still able to slow down your mind, to think critically about the information you’re consuming, and question your own judgment before being sucked into the groupthink that seems to be ravaging all of America these days. 

But don’t hate me…what if you’re not…?

Here’s a Q: Have any of you purchased a Brick recently? It seems that my network is awash with this handy new device that allows you to block certain apps on your phone during particular times. Thus reducing your screen time. Perhaps even improving your sleep. The number of times I’ve heard the benefits of this device and similar features like AppBlock has increased exponentially in recent months. And the mere existence — let alone prevalence — of them demonstrates that perhaps we’re not all as mentally strong as we’d like to think we are. Myself included! If we need a separate device or app to control our phone usage then maybe it’s time we all admit that our human nature is not designed to be yoked to an endless dopamine device. 

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Thanks for clicking through if you did ;-) let’s move on…

If we can accept that sometimes there’s a need for outside intervention (like a Brick) to help us stay on track, then maybe we can also admit that we need a similar helping hand when it comes to the content we consume. And that perhaps we need a helping hand to tug us away from the abyss of conspiracy theory canyon. Then hopefully we can all work together to regain some of those sweet, sweet critical thinking skills that AI seems to want to suck from us alongside all the water remaining on Earth (once again, I digress…). 

This is now the third headline I’ve shown you that is clearly intended to imply that THE BULLETS DO NOT MATCH THE GUN. 

Lest you think I’m cherry picking — here are a few more that I found in less than 10 minutes of searching:

So what does this mean…? Is Candace Owens right? Is this a frame up? Do we have the wrong guy? 

I hate to break it to you, but the answer is WE DON’T KNOW YET. 

Unfortunately for all of us, the judicial system is intended to work slowly and methodically. This is by design. Because our founding fathers believed that it was better to let a guilty man go free than to condemn an innocent man to jail — innocent until proven guilty is still a core tenet of this democracy. 

But news outlets and media pundits and “political influencers” alike are all taking advantage of this sloth-like process to generate engagement for themselves. And I want you to find it in yourself to push back on your own mind. 

I brought up Candace Owens specifically because this particular situation is one where some of my most sober-minded friends have started to whisper, “does she have a point…?” 

Now I’m not going to link out to the vast examples I have of her hateful rhetoric and lies — fueled by malice alongside cleverly worded narratives laced with “I’m just asking questions” innocence. Because you know what? It’s completely fair to believe that things aren’t quite adding up in the public narrative right now! But that doesn’t mean you have to get sucked into believing it’s a mass-coordinated conspiracy orchestrated by your own personal (self-proclaimed) enemies. 

The current administration is disorganized, not to mention equal parts media savvy and desperate for attention. This led to a chaotic few days (let’s be honest, few hours) after Charlie Kirk’s death where they wanted so badly to show their strength that they released too much information — without verifying it — and allowed the media to run rampant. This is frankly an embarrassment of law enforcement and I think they should be ashamed of themselves. Because now that the judicial process is actually underway, suddenly the public is hungry for information. Because we were fed it through a firehouse. Then the supply suddenly evaporated. That just screams cover up, doesn’t it? 

Not necessarily. To me it shouts more incompetence than coordinated subterfuge. But either way, I still believe enough in our legal system to accept that I’m simply going to have to wait and see. 

So where does this bring us with today’s headline? I’ll leave you with this: 

The bullet recovered from Charlie Kirk’s body broke on impact, resulting in it being badly damaged by his bones. This means that only a fragment of bullet was recovered, which immediately complicates any attempts to “match” the bullet to the gun that fired it. This does NOT mean that the bullet was conclusively not fired from the gun found at the scene (that was wrapped in a towel that contained the alleged assassin’s DNA). It similarly does NOT mean that it was fired from that gun either. 

The law is messy. And proving murder is messier. The best we can do is read with intention and train our brains to question when things seem a little too easy. Hopefully with help from trusted individuals who aren’t going to “simply ask questions” in the most inflammatory manner to fan the flames of their own engagement. 

What do we think of making this a new series where we break down a click-bait headline and get to the actual story underneath…? Too much like forcing you to read the article? An entertaining diversion? Let me know what you think xx

EXCITING UPDATES AT REVELLATIONS!

• We’re making some changes to our socials — follow me on IG @joannahartzmark to stay up to date

• Please comment or reply with any headlines (or topics) you’d want to see covered in a series like this one!