Lately I have been pondering the erosion of trust that many social commentators have identified as a critical issue for people in many parts of the world. My interest was sparked by an episode of Silent Witness that I watched recently which included this statement; “the opposite of truth is not lies but chaos”. I wanted to see if this was the case, so I started reading about the erosion of trust. These are some of the things I noted.
Truth is under siege in our world. Misinformation, fake news, conspiracy theories, and bare-faced lies are quickly disseminated by modern technology and are taken as truth by many people. Our beliefs about the world are developed from the testimony of trusted others like parents, friends, teachers, and trusted institutions. Many people frequently only skim news stories. They rarely check sources and unknowingly worsen the problem by sharing stories with like-minded friends and family without first checking facts. If information is passed on by trusted sources, many people will believe it even when it conflicts with information coming from experts in particular fields.
Added to the assault on truth, there is the impact of promises made but not kept, actions proposed but not taken, and other experiences of disappointment and betrayal have led to an erosion of trust. People feel let down by many of the major institutions of society – health, media, education, justice, and the worlds of politics and faith. The extent of the loss was revealed when COVID-19 hit. The divide between those who trusted the medical experts and followed instructions and those who questioned the advice given, especially around vaccinations, grew with time and led to a major standoff on parliament grounds here in Wellington.
A lack of trust is problematic as it can prevent social and economic progress by eroding one key resource – collective effort. Some describe trust as the glue that holds society together and allows it to function effectively. Harvard professor Tarun Khanna points out that “when citizens lack trust, they are less likely to comply with laws and regulations, pay taxes, tolerate different viewpoints or ways of life, contribute to economic vitality, resist the appeals of demagogues, or support their neighbours. Without trust, societies are at risk of chaos and conflict”.
Undermining people’s sense of what is true and what is not by lying, deception, or deliberate attempts to create doubt causes people to be unsure of who they can trust. In this situation they are more likely to trust people who share their beliefs and values. In the introduction to his book Nexus Yuval Noah Harari, quoting Cal Muddle, a political scientist, speaks of populism as an ideology separating society into two homogeneous and antagonistic groups, the “pure people” versus the “corrupt elite”. Our world is increasingly polarised and marked by entrenched disagreement. Growing hostility feeds social distrust, which makes people more prone to rumours and falsehood. There is a phenomenon named the “echo chamber” effect, where people only pay attention to sources that foster and support previous beliefs and demonise those with different and often opposite beliefs. As one commentator put it, “belonging is stronger than facts”. Another comment that resonated with me was that when users encountered a fact-check that revealed their candidate had gotten something wrong, their response wasn’t to get mad at the politician for lying. It was to attack the fact-checkers.
The WHO coined the term “infodemic” to describe the spread of false and misleading information around the outbreak of Covid 19 and the development of vaccines. It likens this to the virus itself as it is extremely contagious and grows exponentially.
What is happening in our world seems to me to support the statement that the opposite of truth is chaos. Trust is easily destroyed but it is hard to restore. Many organisations and institutions, including the Society of St Columban, now pay special attention to transparency and accountability as well as good communication as key values in trying to restore trust where it has been lost. But so much more is needed.
Fr Patrick O'Shea lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
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