Communication is a way for everyone to pass on their thoughts to others. With every conversation we are passing on information about ourselves or learning about the person to whom we are speaking. The problem with these conversations, you can never be sure that you completely understand what the other person is telling you. To be sure you have to ask them if this or that is what they mean.
All creatures have ways of communicating with each other. With people it is generally by speaking, but it can be writing or visual. With writing or art, problems can arise, especially when the creator of the work is no longer around to explain what they really meant. For instance: have you been to an exhibition and taken the tour with a person telling you about what each exhibit means and what the Artist was thinking? Yes? Well, there is a problem with this, so I’ll tell you a story.
When I was at school in England, I learned that during the 1400’s Richard III took over the throne and put his nephews into the Tower of London, where they were killed. I’ve even an ancestry list of the British Monarchy that states Edward was killed on 23 June 1483. This was the historical fact. Or was it? In 2023, an investigation took place going through many archives around Europe to see what happened to the Princes in the Tower.
Were the Princes really killed? It turns out, they weren’t. In fact, documents have been found proving the eldest, Edward, with help from his Aunt Margaret, organised an invasion using French and German mercenaries to take back the throne from the then reigning King Henry VII in a battle in England, where they believe Edward must have been killed. Documents were even found showing the younger Prince Richard, The Duke of York was made to sign an agreement, taking on a different name stating he had committed treason against the crown. He then lived like a Prince, further north in England until he died. All these years history teachers have been teaching a lie. But, if you tell the same story often enough, people start to believe it. And the English population have.
So, you can see, even with history one cannot always believe what one is being told. Is this as problem? Well yes, because this is proving that those who write the history
books are giving their interpretation of what took place, but not telling the truth.
There is one thing you can be sure of, unless you are living in an area where the media is suppressed, and told what to write and broadcast. In countries where they talk about free speech, the media have rules and regulations to abide by, so what is printed, reported and broadcast as true is the truth. Even with advertising there are rules as to what can be said so as not to cheat the public. In fact, years ago a very famous Australian actress was used in an advert as a manicurist recommending a well-known washing up liquid as a good product for bathing one’s hands when manicuring finger nails. The slogan stated the product ‘was soft on hands’. The actress was paid by the advertisers to take a manicure course so no one could say she was only acting. She had the credentials to prove what she was saying was true. And do you know? The advertiser still uses the same slogan on their bottles of washing up liquid today
Schools now teach children about advertising and the tricks advertisers use to help you believe in their product. If you think more about what the advert is saying can you really believe everything it says? Take the ‘buy one and you will get one free’. If they are giving 2 for the price of 1 and still making money then, it is more than likely they are not charging you for two but more than they would for one. No business can survive by giving things away. They are in the business to make a profit, and to cover all their costs, which has to be a decent percentage above what they paid for the item they are reselling. Jewellery that has been reduced with 25% off, should make you wonder if the company has been charging more than it should in the first place. I always do. If they can afford to reduce the price to get the product out of the door, surely, they must still be selling the article above what it cost them?
For so many years, people have been subjected to advertising. We hear it on the radio, see it on television, and the internet and even see it in newspapers and magazines. Small children a constantly bombarded with the same suggestions. Do you wonder whether we have all become brainwashed by constant advertising and thereby easily swayed by clever promotions?
But social media is not subjected to the rules and regulations of the media. And this, I believe is where the problem lies. Advertisers are using the social media platforms to sell their products, but people like me writing a blog and doing a podcast are presenting my opinions where I have no rules stopping me from saying what I want. People currently are using the internet and social media to be rude, tell lies, and to cheat people out of their money. Are you happy with that?
Many people who listen, read or see things on social media are happy to pass the information on to their friends. This helps the social media platform. But what harm are all these lies and fake news doing? Just because it sounds logical or even believable, it doesn’t necessarily make it true. And, too many people are being convinced that what they read, hear and see are real.
Maybe it is time for us to question all these things we see on the internet? Some are correct, and advertisers still have to abide by the rules and regulations. But the internet has become so powerful, people can make their own advertisements, and it is hard to know if they are fake or not. There are, now, so many ways becoming popular to pass on opinions and false information, one cannot be sure what you see or hear is true. So many people complain about fake news, but how do they even know if it is fake?
This has become a big concern with many governments around the world. Social media has grown so large, and the companies that run them so wealthy, they can afford to pay fines, take governments to court, just so no rules and regulations are placed on them.
Surely the people who started up the World Wide Web, didn’t see the internet ending up the way it has? I wonder if they had known, whether they would have put some rules into place. I would think they would be horrified to see how it has developed into such a monster.
Is there anything we can do about it? Yes, but it will take a very loud voice from everyone before it is heard and anything is done. Governments generally don’t do anything about problems until it affects them. And social media will not step into help. They are doing very well thank you. And don’t need to change.
Time to start writing those letters to your local politician and let them know your thoughts on this matter.
Julie Finch-Scally ©
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