Information versus ideas

         Ignorant people, generally, have no grasp of reality and cannot distinguish between information and ideas. They use information only as long as it fits their preconceived thoughts; in fact, they live within a fragment of reality. For them, reliable information does not make sense, and they remain comfortably living in their own world. Furthermore, ignorant people do not feel (or do not perceive) their alienation from reality. They seek neither knowledge nor ignorance because their notion of the world is relative, proportional to their capacity to understand it. They tend to live merely to find others who share their narrow worldview.
       We need to spend time understanding the world and seeking knowledge; then we can deal with it and criticise it through personal reflections. Ignorant people do not belong to this way of thinking. While lazy people refuse to study, ignorant people enjoy and embrace their ignorance.
        Even though ignorant people have access to the same information, ready to be shared with a click, there is a fundamental difference: while others try to understand and criticise information, they do not. On the other hand, AI has become a major presence in our world and an ally to those who seek knowledge. Ignorant people do not live apart from this reality because they have access to the same technology; instead, they try to manipulate information to their own benefit; this is a double standard.
        The “digital blind” are a type of ignorant person created by the internet. They must deal with a complex world, yet they seek simple answers in order to interact with it. They behave like aliens in the world because it is easier to believe what others say, granting them authority they do not possess, in a world where influencers charm and mislead people. It is a beautiful and illuminated spaces where attractive voices organise traps through false debates to convince people to share ideas that they are not prepared to understand. The modern digital blind fits perfectly into virtual reality because ignorance is a choice rather than a deficiency. Many people prefer to believe the news they hear or read from unreliable sources because it reflects the perfect image they have of the world.
      The modern digital blind floats between information and ideas. They receive a storm of information and ideas, but they are not able to reflect upon them because they lack the interest and discernment needed to separate the wheat from the chaff. This situation is uncomfortable for them because there is now an entity powered by computers and AI that can think like a human. Therefore, why shouldn’t they believe in it?
        Amid this storm of information, even those who seek to understand reality will find a confusing world. No one is fully capable of discerning all the information that arrives daily, whether it is true or false.
        Today, these individuals not only admire their own ignorance, but also try to find places where their views are shared, creating the figure of the “enlightened ignorant”.

Photo from: Foto de AbsolutVision na Unsplash

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