C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G, PART I
A G U I D E T O A W O R L D O F L I E S
“Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is cheapest way selling goods, especially if the goods are worthless” - S. Lewis
We live in the XXI century, which is considered the digital technology and information century. However we have not prepared ourselves to face the consequences of the digital age.
Digital technology with its powerful computers, search engines, smart phones, Skype and the world wide web has enabled the formation of giant social media and e- commerce companies. These companies, without any rules and regulations, hiding behind freedom of expressions, have created a free access, digital media environment that is full of misinformation, lies, deceits, fake news, dishonesty and commercialism. Profit became more important than anything else for them, including human life.
Relentless advertisements have polluted our views, our airways, our screen times, our newspapers and journals. We are manipulated and brain washed. Truth, moral and ethical principles have lost their values. The current opioid crisis in the USA and record opioid over dose death rate is a good example of this misuse.
Giant tech and social media companies provided, worldwide, free services on the surface, but we paid them with the loss of our privacy and freedom. They become privy of every click we make and every conversation we utter. They know who we are, where we live, what we do, what we buy, how old we are, how much money we make. They sold all of this private information about us, without our consent, to other companies with very handsome profit. So we are easily bombarded with targeted ads at every turn. With e-commerce , advertisements and other ancillary services, they have acquired an unpresented financial clout and replacing industrial capitalism with digital capitalism.
Consequently digital revolution and digital means has created a confusing, chaotic and toxic environment where with political wrangling and demagogy, we have become the enemy of one another. Our society is divided and politized. Racism and sexism have become rampant. Technology, social media and demagogy by politicians have made it easy to do so.
New laws, new rules and regulations are long overdue. Until then, only our critical thinkingfaculties will save us in this toxic environment and show us the truth. However, thinking is not that easy. Thinking requires time, will power and mental energy. We prefer somebody else to think and tell us what to do. It is easier for many of us to use our gut feelings, without thinking, to rationalize and accept the things at their face values. But this attitude at the end will make things worse for all of us. Only critical thinking will guide us to find the truth behind all of those lies.
In the second part of this article, I will talk about my insight and guide to critical thinking.
