The Critical Thinking Crisis: What You Can Do About It

Published by PolisPandit on October 22, 2024October 22, 2024

Imagine a world where one in five people get their news from social media. Of that group, imagine that 40% of young adults under 30 get their news from TikTok.

The stark reality is that you don’t have to imagine such a world. It’s our current reality — one that’s fueling a critical thinking crisis.

Instead of consuming news and media from objective sources, we increasingly rely on influencers and social media accounts, almost none of whom have editorial departments fact-checking their work. Traditional media has adapted to this brave new world by injecting more opinion in the endless quest for eyeballs and attention.

As a result, many of us are told what to think. And unfortunately, many of us comply. At best, when we encounter misinformation or disinformation we experience confusion.

“Should I fact-check this?”, you might ask yourself.

We have to be our own editors

The modern media environment has thrust editorial roles upon us — the consumers — whether we like it or not. Few of us are biologically equipped to handle it.

We are prone to clickbait. Subliminal manipulation. Deepfakes. Misinformation and disinformation.

Our natural tendency to react emotionally to content has shaped the modern media environment, removing most objectivity and balance from reporting and news.

Journalism has historically operated with the modus operandi, “If it bleeds it leads.” Media has always known what attracts attention. But since the internet democratized media so anyone could create “news”, there have been some blessings, but more curses.

Barriers to entry for citizen journalists have never been lower. While some countries have formal requirements for who can call themselves a journalist, America does not. And no social media sites I’m aware of distinguish between professional and citizen journalists, nor should they necessarily.

The point is that this democratization of media has increased competition for precious eyeballs and consequently produced bad incentives.

Sensationalism. Extremism. Hate. Fear.

They all sell because they naturally attract human attention.

It’s not your fault. We’re biologically programmed to pay attention to threats. Even the best-trained among us struggle to use critical thinking to overcome bias, fake news, and other forms of manipulation that we consume.

Democracy has many benefits, but this extreme promotion of free speech — especially in America — comes with consequences. Valuing speech over objectivity and truth can result in a confused and misinformed citizenry who is then expected to vote for society’s leaders.

I don’t want to sacrifice democratic principles like free speech, but that means we need to strengthen our defenses against bad or reckless actors who misinform or manipulate.

The critical thinking crisis has never been worse

Some 64% of adults said “fake news” caused confusion about basic facts. Yet many of those same adults admitted to sharing such news with friends or strangers online.

This problem is amplified with television. While Americans are more likely to fact-check social media or online articles, one in five adults admitted to never double-checking television news, which can be heavily biased.

Despite social media being the least trusted news source globally since 2016, over 50% of internet users in over 20 countries use social media for news. They assume the risks.

I’m guilty as charged. I used to rely on X (formerly Twitter) for the latest news and recently switched to Threads, which has improved immediate news reporting. Both platforms, however, struggle with their own forms of misinformation and bias.

Other platforms like TikTok, which adults under 30 increasingly rely on as a news source (some 40% in the U.S.), are filled with individual creators giving their personal takes. Some traditional media is present, but the vast majority of news or political content is from unaffiliated individuals. Myself included!

I hate to admit it — even about myself — but you cannot fully trust anyone. Even the best editorial staff makes mistakes, let alone individual influencers.

What the average news consumer is left with is a field of landmines filled with content telling us where to walk, how to think, and what to say. Inevitably, we step on the landmines.

We must sharpen our critical thinking skills

To survive in the modern media environment and mitigate the risk of falling prey to misinformation or worse, we must become our own editors. We must develop the requisite critical thinking skills that enable us to scrutinize sources, perspectives, and facts.

I have found the following steps helpful to start:

1. Practice healthy skepticism — This doesn’t mean labeling everything “fake news.” It does mean questioning all information, even from your most trusted sources. Remember: no source is infallible.
2. Diversify sources and perspectives — Following a diverse group of people and perspectives is one of the best ways to check bias and information quality.
3. Fact-check before sharing — In this fast-paced media landscape, we all play a role. If each of us takes a few more minutes to fact-check anything we want to share before sending it on to friends or strangers online, we can significantly reduce the spread of misinformation.
4. Call out false information — Regardless of the publisher’s intent, whenever you see false information, say something. Comment. Denounce. Question. However you want to do it, we should all feel empowered to highlight inaccuracies and falsehoods. It signals that sharing misinformation is a problem.
5. Demanding more from social media platforms — Platforms like TikTok play a crucial role. While I don’t think TikTok should be banned, I do think they should promote more educational content globally, just as they do in China. We need globally uniform standards (even in very free speech countries like America) to require social media companies to moderate hate speech and dangerous disinformation and misinformation. It’s possible to promote free speech with limited guardrails.

This editor-free media environment is here to stay

Individual creators (like myself) will continue offering their perspectives so long as platforms give them the opportunity. Uncertainty surrounding the credibility and veracity of information will persist so long as creators can monetize impressions and views.

Our primary defense is critical thinking, even though modern society discourages it. For some, it’s too much work. Others simply cannot be bothered and are set in their ways.

But for those who do not want to live in a world where ignorance is bliss and random influencers tell you how to think, sharpen your critical thinking skills.

We can beat this crisis one critical mind at a time.