Trust
Institutional and Individual
Being of an age to have lived much of my life before the public adoption of the internet gives me a perspective, perhaps, quite different from those who grew up with it.
One massive change that resulted at least partially from the internet is a very broad shift of trust from institutions to individuals.
Here’s an example:
Decades ago, most people trusted The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, locally the Seattle Times. It doesn’t really matter which rag or broadcast it was, people very broadly trusted large media organizations to tell the truth.
That certainly isn’t the case today.
Most people do still trust the media, but in a radically different form. They trust individuals, making and sharing what they believe to be true. Podcasters, newsletter writers, bloggers. These are the people trusted today, a trust that has been torn away from institutions.
Good and bad has flowed from this shift, but it has undeniably happened. Who has more influence today, Joe Rogan or The Washington Post? And importantly, where is the money flowing? There are journalists and podcasters making millions of dollars a year on independent platforms today. Meanwhile the institutions are closing their doors forever at a breakneck pace.
This shift has certainly impacted more than just the media, it has touched everything.
We can ask ourselves, do we trust the Government? People largely did, before Nixon.
Do we trust medicine? A lot fewer do post Covid than pre Covid.
Do we trust higher education? The student loan abuses seem to have put an end to that.
Are there any institutions that enjoy widespread trust today?
Any institutions that demand more trust than individuals?
I don’t see any.
And that brings up some really important questions.
Does this broad societal shift impact Freemasonry?
If it does, how?
Will the Freemasonry of tomorrow look different from the Freemasonry of today because of it?
Should Freemasonry respond to this shift in some way?
Let’s chat about it in the comments below…
Looking for something more?
Everything I wrote last week can be found here.
It is unfortunate that the world we live in today, has not only experienced an erosion of trust in many institutions that were considered authoritative and trustworthy. but that the younger generations don't seem to understand how trust should work.
You mention the internet adoption by the public. I truly believe that is one of the major factors in this change.
I was having a discussion with a motorcycle rider on a Facebook group about fog lights. Another member of the group had posted an image of his newly installed fog lights but this other user stated that because the lenses weren't yellow, the lights were not actually fog lights. His argument was that fog lights MUST ne yellow.
I replied that it wasn't a true statement. Fog lights can be white or yellow lenses. While a yellow lens leads to less reflection from fog than the white, the perception of that to the human eye is negligible. Fog lights are only effective if mounted low with the reason being that fog does not touch the surface, but rather has a gap between the surface and the bottom. The low mount of the lights, takes advantage of that by lighting the gap space. Also, being lower, it reflects less light back to the eye level of the driver.
I told him that my data came from academic sources that I have access to as a university alumni. Going to university, you are familiar with validating your sources and ensuring you are using trusted sources of informatiom.
His reply was to point out YouTube videos and other Facebook groups that reinforced his opinion. He trusted people he didn't know, and sources that were found online. In my opinio, he didn't understand the concept of trusting your sources of information.
This is, unfortunately, all too common. The generation that has grown up with the internet, and now AI, put blind faith in what they get back from these sources, without vetting the information.
I even had one guy argue with me that he thought the fuses for his air conditioning unit were not sized correctly because when he put his voltmeter on the load side, he saw the voltage fluctuating and causing brown outs. A brown out is when voltage drops below acceptable levels for the equipment. I tried to explain to him that a fuse is simply a metal strip is an overload device. It either passes current or it doesn't. If the fuse is bad, no current flows.
He said he researched on the internet and because, when he shook the fuse it sounded like sand inside, he believed the fuse was faulty. I tried to explain that the material inside the fuse is designed to be an arc prevention mechanism for if and when the fuse does blow due to overcurrent.
BTW, I have over 15 years of experience in the HVAC/R industry so my source of knowledge is experience. His, was the internet.
I also teach courses on AI. I demonstrate many times to students, why they should not blindly trust the responses that AI returns. Most get it, some still don't.
But you last question was around it affecting Freemasonry. I believe it most certainly does. One of your previous posts about the social media influencer who posted about Doric Lodge in Seattle and the atrocities that Masons perform, is a great example.
When the general public trust someone like that, over truly seeking the truth. It impacts our fraternity in a negative way. How do we respond? I have no solid answers at the moment. It is a conundrum that I struggle with.
MWPGM Bailey, the twelve points Boy Scouts lived by started with "Trustworthy"!