Thoughts from the Board - Brynne Gant
In 2022, Balaji Srinivasan publicly introduced the idea of the Network State: nations determined not by geographical boundaries but by shared online realities, beliefs, and conversation. The idea is a becoming a reality whether we like or not—we are dividing ourselves along the lines of online communication instead of reality.
Moreover, our online communities are increasingly polarized, not representing the true nuance of the average person’s beliefs. If you polled us about the purported beliefs of a given online community, we would all answer similarly. Who was more likely to be on Twitter before Musk bought it out – democrats or republicans? Who is more likely to be on it now that it is X – conservatives or liberals?
More than ever, the way we communicate—which is the basis for our belief about the world we live in—is moving online and increasingly distancing itself not just from the corporeal world but, in many cases, from actual reality. The algorithms that feed us our online information are designed to promote profits (read sustained attention at any cost), not accuracy or truth.
Belief, and especially shared belief, may be the most powerful tool of humanity. Think about it: why does the financial system work? Why is a $100 bill worth $100? Shared belief. And what happens when we lose that shared belief? A run on the bank, both literally and metaphorically.
So when our shared beliefs are being shaped by the algorithms that feed us anger, disgust, and shock over truth and accuracy, when so much human emotion is controlled by these profit-optimizing systems, how do we return to shared communities, shared beliefs, and an emphasis on truth and accuracy?
It’s a big problem. Maybe there is a simple solution.
Return to the physical world and real people, even if only in small ways, every day.
Go to the store and make eye contact with your fellow shoppers.
Buy one less thing on Amazon and one more at your local mom and pop shop. Or buy on Amazon and greet your Amazon delivery person.
Wave at your neighbors.
Make small talk with the dog walkers.
Call your family member or an old friend.
As attorneys, come out and attend Happy Hours, CLEs, and other events.
Sure, you can optimize your time and profits by saving the drive time and getting your CLEs in via home-study or virtual appearance, but what else are you giving up when you lose your touch points with the living, breathing community?
Every chance to speak with a human face to face is a chance to remind yourself about our actual shared reality. No filter.
-- Brynne Gant, Immediate Past President
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