Years ago, we didn’t have enough information; today we have too much. We are in constant contact with our world. Be it Twitter, Facebook, e-mail or texts, morning, noon and night we are communicating – we are moving information. Think of it this way – we have the networks and the mechanism in place to convey meaningful information – but we don’t. We spread rumors – and by rumors I mean we spread what we think, even though it may not be accurate or true. We don’t take the time to check our facts – we just say what we hear. We just pass it on. We keep the rumors going, getting better and more outrageous as they go.
This struck me today as I was reading Frank Rich’s Op-Ed in the NY Times about balloon boy. Reading this weeks piles of press and tons of tweets on the balloon boy hoax made me think of George Saunders great essay, “The Braindead Megaphone” (be sure to read it if you have not). His point is that we always listen to the loudest voice – the media, the politician, anyone with a microphone, large television or radio audience, anyone with large network followers. And because it is the loudest, we follow. Lemmings. Autobots. Just because it can be said, does not mean that it is true. And just because it is the loudest does not mean it is true. It is time to fact check. It is time to pack our brains when we pack our lunches and fight the urge to pass on rumors. And a rumor is something that has not been substantiated with fact.
Remember the children’s game, “whisper down the lane” where a message is whispered to one person at one end of a circle, and each -person whispers the message to the next. The message at the end is different from the beginning. This is how information moves today. Someone hears something (may or not be true) and passes it on from network to network. Two problems. First, the message is frequently passed on without any critical thinking or assessment (rumor started). Then, as it moves, it morphs into an even greater rumor (rumor embellished) – mostly because those hearing it and passing it on are also not checking the facts. Start a discussion of health care and some have morphed the message to death camps. Start a discussion about a flu strain and we have people saying that vaccines are intentionally infecting people. Start a discussion about equality and we have people fearing the breakdown of families. Check your facts. Stop spreading rumors.
Want to see what I mean? Carve out one hour and review all the tweets, Facebook posts, radio, TV and text messages you receive. Then evaluate:
• How many were meaningful?
• How many were true?
• How many made a difference?
• How many added value?
• Which are worthy of passing on?
We have an amazing world where scientific information doubles every 2-3 years. The pace of change is extraordinary, meaning that we have access to more and more information every day. Our ability to access this information and to be connected to networks of people now changes how we use this information. We must become more critical in our assessment and evaluation of information. If we are relying on the information to make an informed decision (politics, health, investing, workplace, family) then we must check our facts, own our decisions and stop spreading rumors. Not that we have to do that with everything. If you like green grapes better than red, tweet, text or e-mail. But if is about healthcare, a new business competitor in town or something that will affect your health, check the facts.
We are in age that lets us constantly communicate. In the past when we had less technology, the critical issue was expanding the communication process (the movement of information) so that we could get more information out to people. In business, managers were more informed (and could be) than their employees; managers were in charge because they had information employees did not have. Managers had the facts.
Today, technology has put communication in the hands of everyone. Now, both managers and employees have access to similar information; the information hierarchy has changed. No longer is a manager in charge because she has access to more information. Today, managers are in charge because they bring their teams together and direct the process to gather, assess and use information in a meaningful way. Information movement (communication) has changed how we manage. Information movement has changed what we say and how we say it. And this great movement has created the need to learn how to determine fact from fiction, both at work and in life.
We know that most of what politicians say is perspective. Though it would be great if they were mandated to only say what is true (think of how much less we would hear from them), we must be able to assess fact from fiction, truth from rumor. Just because something is said does not make it true. I would love to see a small “r” (r for “rumor”) added to texts, tweets and others posts, indicating that the statement has not been fact-checked. Then I would know whether I could rely on the information to make a meaningful decision. I know that will never happen so I know it is up to each of us to become better at critical thinking and evaluating what we hear to be able to separate chat and rumor from fact.
Our success is in our ability to use information – at work or in life. We are connected more now than ever before to networks of people who spread their ideas and comments around at the speed of the click. There is great success in this. There is also a great potential for failure. Though in my work with companies I always encourage managements to constantly include employees in discussions about what they hear and see (the are in fact the eyes and ears of every organization), great managers must help their employees learn to be better at critical thinking and information evaluation. This improves the quality of the information they bring to and use in the organization. And seeing this in the workplace, educates them to do it in life.
Information is good. Meaningful and factual information is better. Since we can never require and ensure politicians, businesses, celebrities and others who share information to present only fact, we must own the fact-checking process. Commit today to share only meaningful and accurate information. Improve your critical thinking, your review of information and your evaluation based on fact. Watch out for the brain-dead megaphone – the loudest voice – that insists you listen because it is loud (loud may mean volume but it also may mean celebrity, frequency and pervasiveness).
So before you spread a rumor, think, evaluate and check the facts. Then if it is something that should be passed on, decide on the best way so that is well understood.
