Ten Billion Facts
There’s a reason more and more of us are engaged in venomous conversations with people who used to be our friends, family and neighbors.
There are far too many facts flying around.
A communication theory developed in 1941 by philosopher Kenneth Burke long ago predicted this. It’s called “The Burkean parlor.” It’s a metaphor for talking about ideas in an unending conversation. Let’s update the title for 2019. We’ll call it The Starbucks Communication Theory.
Laura walks into Starbucks and sees friends having an animated conversation about something. Laura sits down and listens for awhile until she’s comfortable she’s caught up with what’s being discussed, and now feels confident to weigh in with her own takes. Ideas and opinions are batted about. A few minutes later, Laura has to go to work, so she takes off, leaving a few people sitting there still talking. New information will be raised in her absence, which she is going to miss. Laura’s frame of reference was that moment she was at Starbucks in the store.
Burke knew that this has always been how people create worldview. Our frame of reference is what is going on at the point in history when we are alive and walking around. Some people surely thought legendary CBS-TV anchorman Walter Cronkite was reading, writing and reporting fake news back in the day. But what’s the difference between then, and now?
We used to rely on gatekeepers to filter things for us. Now the very institutions so many trusted to gather, sort and report the stories of the day have been overrun by we the people, we and our phones. Our Burkean parlor used to be a grocery store, a diner, a newspaper, and Walter Cronkite. We could not hop on the Internet and blast an opinion to tens of thousands of people at light speed. We’re shooting web links like arrows at each other. We shoot, and we leave the conversation, leaving others to join in on the circular firing squad.
Journalism requires three things: money, time and people. It can take months to develop sources, fact-check, then double check and finally publish a story. It was not unheard of to have 15 or even 20 researchers and reporters working one news story. Technology has obviously enabled journalists to search up evidence much faster now, but despite all of the journalistic heavy lifting, we dismiss it in a knee jerk. How easy for us.
There are a billion explanations for everything, and one look at your social media accounts will prove that. It’s odd that we pick the fact that makes us validated, call it truth, and move on.
Zuckerberg San Francisco General hospital recently billed a young woman they treated for a broken arm $24,074.50. Here’s the story from reporter Sarah Kliff at Vox. A funny thing happened after the story was published: the hospital lowered her bill to $200. Huh. Why do you suppose?
Journalism protects us from the institutions who seek to destroy us.
Please stop telling me I can’t believe any of it.
