We are at a tipping point in society.
We idolize imperfect humans. We can’t tell apart truth from fake news. Politics is getting more polarized with every new election. Artificial reality will soon distort our natural reality…. It’s clear the lines between truth and lies have never been so blurred.
This is partly because our realities are distorted tenfold with social media. When we log into Instagram we forget that people present their best selves forward. We never see anyone doing their laundry, struggling with work, or the incredible effort it takes for them to get up in the morning simply to show up for the day. Instead, we see the time they went skydiving, or their engagement announcement, or their flawless selfie.
We all curate the best parts of ourselves and exaggerate them online. We are performers in the invisible theatre of our lives. Worse part is we’ve become terribly gullible too.
The Media Frenzy Around Crypto Is Damaging to Your Money
I’ve been thinking about this for a little bit, possibly because I work in the crypto space. I see first hand how quickly people are swayed one way or another. “Amazing Coin is going to be the next big thing. Here’s why you should invest in it!” “Crypto is the future. Here’s how to get started.” Then two minutes later; “Bitcoin’s price is falling. Here’s why it will never be globally accepted.”
I see my peers clicking on these sexy articles that bash and trash, resuscitate, only to kill again, the world of cryptocurrencies. I see them feel fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) with every headline. They panic, sell and count their losses forgetting that emotion and money have never gone hand in hand, at least not well.
The harsh reality is that in the end, it’s them who lose. It’s them who have lost money, time, energy, and resources when they could have been equipping themselves with the digital assets that are going to benefit with increasing demand over the next decade. They sacrifice the long-term for the short-term because they believe everything they read.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." James Clear
Given I spend a lot of time learning about the crypto space, and the fact I work in the industry, I can hold conviction on my position. I understand the cryptocurrencies I’m investing in. I’ve done my research. I know why and how they fit in my understanding of the future. I do not cut corners, I do not follow the herd, I do not sway… because I study and test my theories. That is my superpower.
Ask Yourself These Questions Next Time You Read an Article
Our generation is focused more on their next instagram post then they are about critical thinking, developing independent thought, or questioning, pushing and stretching their beliefs to see if they’re elastic. We’ve become lazy with our thought.
What I’ve started doing every time I read a piece of content is to ask myself these questions;
Who wrote it and why do I think they wrote it?
What was their angle? (Or, what was their intention given their political inclination, understanding of the subject, metrics for performance… you get the gist).
What did they not say in the article?
I question the writer and the publication. I try to find the gaps in the education they provided. I take the article or the video or the speech for what it is: simply a small piece of the greater story. Then I move to an article that argues the opposite side. I read news sites from North America to the Middle East and everywhere else I can find.
As best I can, I try to stay in the grey zone. After all, nothing good ever comes from having a black or white mindset.
Now, I’ll leave you with this video my brother sent to me a couple of days ago. It’s called “You can’t believe anything you see these days.” The glasses, the face, the clothes, the marker, the background in the video… none of it is real. It was all stitched together to give you an illusion of a young man speaking to the camera (and a convincing video at that!). Technology is distorting a lot of things, our realities being one of them.
Remember, there’s a player, the played and there’s the game. We, my friend, are being played in the frenzy game of the media whether we know it or not. So, learn, question and pave your own way of thinking…
Until next time. Have a great day!