Question Validity

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Many people today are choosing to question the ways in which their upbringing has shaped their world views of today. And not only that, but due to technology and the gift of the internet, they are questioning societal patterns and behaviors at a faster rate than ever before. Why? Well most people today are quick to question the validity of any new information they come across. It does not matter if it is from a friend, from a late night TV show host ranting about politics, the news networks reading off of their daily teleprompter scripts, or their parents feeding them the same information they’ve been consuming for generations. Instead people are beginning to challenge the information, news, or knowledge they discover. They are deliberately and consciously dissecting all this newfound knowledge to prove it has authority, substance, and relevance to their world views, their values, and belief systems.
What happens once new information is deemed valuable? Well, from my experience and viewing people’s behaviors from various channels, it is evident that there are differences in the way people process, engage with, and distribute information. The differences may occur due to various influences such as personality type, personal experiences/upbringing, relationship with the subject of discussion, previous knowledge, perceptions or thoughts/beliefs on the subject, and so on.

Example 1: An individual consumes new knowledge or information from a reputable source and dissects it in depth. They seek to gain the true meaning behind the content they have just absorbed. They may continue their research to find even more information on the subject so they have a wholesome approach to incorporating this information into their already developed belief system. People that fall under this example may happily spread the wealth of their discoveries with confidence in the validity of the information they have to share. They may use channels other than word of mouth as a means of distribution. Whether they are pleased by this information or dissatisfied, they will spread it with certainty that by sharing what they have learned, they will benefit the listener, viewer, or the learner by what they have to offer.

Example 2: An individual consumes new knowledge in a similar fashion as example 1 would, in which they will research the validity of any new information, news, or knowledge they come across. The difference in this individual is how they refrain from distributing their newfound knowledge with others. These individuals will take value from what they learn, but will not be as eager to share it with the world, whether it is with their family, friends, or with the greater public. For any number of reasons, individuals in this example will use what they gained to learn and to grow, yet will refrain from sharing at all or will hold off until a later time. Sometimes these individuals will feel as though their beliefs on such specific subjects will result in conflict, backlash, critique, or misunderstanding. They may also feel that if they give out this information that they will be challenged, cheated, or taken advantage of. In another case, these individuals may feel that what they have to say is not of value to anyone else but themselves. No matter the case, example 2 individuals are not as keen on sharing, therefore, not as extroverted as example 1 individuals.

Example 3: The final example shares similarities with a varying group of individuals that encompass similar traits in how they process and distribute information. This individual will take on new information, news, or knowledge with minimal research of its validity and a lack of apprehension on the the effects of sharing this newfound knowledge. Also, they will either express an eagerness (like example 1 individuals) or introvertness (like example 2 individuals) in how they choose to distribute this information. These individuals can be associated with the type who will spread fake news with no genuine knowledge of the fact that they are doing so. This is because example 3 individuals, should they be as eager to share as example 1 individuals, don’t actually dissect the information they come across. Instead, they take it at face value with the belief that it is true and needs no further study to prove it so. The general nature of these individuals is that they will spread this information more on an emotional basis, rather than an objective one. If the narrative of what they are learning matches with their prior world views, values, or beliefs systems, they will share it without much consideration of the effects of such behaviors.

To summarize my thoughts, we all are individuals with varying methods of how we process new information, news, or knowledge. We should, however, aim to express qualities of example 1 and 2 individuals in a balanced way. In no way should we take on new information from anyone without challenging, in a controlled and respectful manner, the nature of its validity.

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