The Resonance of Ignorance
A Chinese proverb depicts a frog that lives at the bottom of a deserted well. He is the largest and perhaps smartest creature in the well. Over time the frog thinks the size of the world is the little land of the bottom, the size of the sky is the little round patch over his head.
While revisiting this ancient proverb through the lens of the internet, people may tend to think without a means of connecting, these frogs are scattered, weak, and almost non-destructive.
But what if the frogs had the means of connecting?
In the era of the internet, this means is social media. Under social media the frogs are connected and generate a powerful force: The Resonance of Ignorance.
Humans vs. frogs, there is honestly not much difference when it comes to the way we consume and perceive information. For the frogs, it’s the little round sky over his head. For us, it’s the media.
We have transferred from the age of mainstream media to the time of social media.
The days of mainstream media were largely marked by the scarcity of information, perfectly mirroring the frog living in a deserted well. People’s cognition of the world was often restricted. A little patch of the sky.
The internet revolutionized the way we access and grasp knowledge. Suddenly, we find ourselves drowning in an abundance of information. It was as if the well was pulled down, an infinite sky came overhead the frog.
But wait a minute. Is the well really pulled down?
Cognitive bias is a human nature. We tend to cherry-pick information that aligns with our preconceived notions. We become enamored with the information that reinforces our existing beliefs. Over time we believe that we possess the ultimate truth -like the frog.
As if that weren’t enough, social media, armed with big data and AI, bombard us with information tailored to our individual interests. “I guess you will like this……”, “According to your view history……”
The more we consume, the more we become deaf and blind. The well’s walls, seemingly torn down, are stealthily rebuilt, and we find ourselves once again gazing at that little round patch overhead.
What is even worse? In the pre-internet era, the frogs in New York City, Los Angeles, the Middle East, and Europe were living in separate wells. Fast forward to the internet era, and the separation is replaced by a almighty means of connection. We now bask in the glory of our newfound knowledge, the pride of being part of a global community, and the confidence that we possess the one and only truth.
The power of “The Resonance of Ignorance” is driven by the already insane growth of social media. In the past, ignorance was indeed a hindrance to social development, but it lacked the power of resonance. The damage it caused was contained, like ripples in a pond. Today, ignorance is interconnected, fueled by the illusion that we are the sole possessors of the ultimate truth. The repercussions of this resonance could be nothing short of destructive.
Is “The Resonance of Ignorance” an ill omen for humanity’s future? Is there a silver lining to be found in this web of interconnected frogs? Honestly, it’s one of the human riddles in modern times.
The internet has provided us with an infinite opportunity to learn, share, and grow. We are lucky to ride on this rising power of global connection. But as Confucious said, “You know what you know and what you do not know, it’s true knowledge.” It’s more important to remember that although we are committed to learning throughout our whole life, what we know is infinitely a tiny part of what don’t know.
Mark Twain said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” It’s not the internet that generates ignorance, it’s ourselves as we ignore the diversity of perspectives the digital world offers. Now this ignorance is breeding more wreck through resonance. We can’t afford to let it take control.
In the age of the internet, we’ve gone from being frogs in separate wells to being frogs in a well-connected pond. At the end of the day, we’re all just frogs trying to make sense of the same sky, whether it’s infinite or confined.
