‘Perception is reality.’
The saying seemed to be everywhere 10 years ago.
It meant, for example, that if someone perceived you to be a smart person, even if you weren’t, what mattered is that they thought you were a smart person.
Marketing gurus glommed onto the expression, as it bolstered the need for managing appearances and hence grew their trade.
Fast forward a decade and now we are faced with ‘alternative facts,’ fake news and bald-faced lies repackaged as ‘viewpoints.’ ‘Perception is reality’ on steroids.
This past week one of our news photos was altered by a Facebook group site and used as an anti-women’s march post (see story on page three). The photo of three New Westminster women police officers was posted with a caption that said, among other things, “Want to feel ‘equal’? Go fight someone in the street … .”
Anyone who knows the police in New West recognized immediately that it was faked. But that didn’t stop it from going viral. When it was pointed out to Facebook ‘friends,’ who were sharing the image and caption, that it was not only false but a violation of copyright and defamatory to the officers, the stock response was that it was a ‘meme.’ Call it whatever you want. It was a lie, and those who shared it after being told that it was false should be ashamed of themselves.
The same week New Westminster saw racist flyers left in our city. That the flyers are based on lies and fuelled by hate is, we hope, understood by the vast majority of New Westminster residents. But given the amount of garbage passed off as information nowadays we have grave concerns. When lies and hate become normalized and seen as just viewpoints on a natural spectrum, we worry.
The same week we heard someone say that what they see in newspapers is really mostly opinion and not factual stories. Really? In the Recordthe opinion pieces are clearly marked as such. And, if, unwittingly, we publish a factual error, we correct it. Not being able to distinguish between news and opinion or understand that as professional journalists we are held to certain standards, is also troubling.
How do people determine what are ‘real’ facts and what are falsehoods? Has Facebook and the world of fake news created an oxygen-deprived atmosphere affecting our perceptions of everything? Have we lost the ability, or more importantly, the urge, to fact check anything?
Do we really only ‘share’ things that appeal to our preconceived notions about ourselves and the world? And, if we do, how can we hope to ever truly expand our own understanding of the world we live in?
Is perception reality?
