Read on Twitter
Our Current model of Truth is BROKEN.
Let's go back in time a little bit.
We’re in January 2020.
A new virus just appeared in China.
What's going to happen in the following months will reveal everything that is wrong with one of the pillars of our societies: Truth.
Thread
Let's go back in time a little bit.
We’re in January 2020.
A new virus just appeared in China.
What's going to happen in the following months will reveal everything that is wrong with one of the pillars of our societies: Truth.
Thread
Truth Matters
Truth is what makes us understand things and progress.
It helps us make the right decisions, act without prejudice or bias, and achieve optimal outcomes.
Without Truth, we live in darkness, and society can’t thrive in the long term.
Truth is what makes us understand things and progress.
It helps us make the right decisions, act without prejudice or bias, and achieve optimal outcomes.
Without Truth, we live in darkness, and society can’t thrive in the long term.
Knowing the truth would have meant understanding the gravity of the virus in China.
This would have pushed us to act fast and potentially prevent it from spreading globally.
That is not what happened, was it?
This would have pushed us to act fast and potentially prevent it from spreading globally.
That is not what happened, was it?
Why did finding truth become so complicated?
Many argue that we live in a “post-truth” era.
It feels as if the concept of truth had lost its importance.
Let's take a look at the institutions people rely upon as a source of truth.
Many argue that we live in a “post-truth” era.
It feels as if the concept of truth had lost its importance.
Let's take a look at the institutions people rely upon as a source of truth.
LEGACY MEDIA
Media companies market themselves as “the source of infallible truth.”
They aren’t seeking truth as a primary goal. How could we expect the truth from an entity that isn’t incentivized to produce it?
Media companies market themselves as “the source of infallible truth.”
They aren’t seeking truth as a primary goal. How could we expect the truth from an entity that isn’t incentivized to produce it?
The other problem with media comes from the new subscription business model.
With an increasing polarization, media outlets must stay in their political leaning.
If they don’t, they face a massive loss of subscriptions (e.g. NYT & Send in the troops). https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1136962504343662592
With an increasing polarization, media outlets must stay in their political leaning.
If they don’t, they face a massive loss of subscriptions (e.g. NYT & Send in the troops). https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1136962504343662592
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media value engagement and this doesn’t generally align with the truth.
The number of retweets and likes has nothing to do with what’s true.
And if social media curated information and made the real facts more visible, they become the "guardians of truth."
Social media value engagement and this doesn’t generally align with the truth.
The number of retweets and likes has nothing to do with what’s true.
And if social media curated information and made the real facts more visible, they become the "guardians of truth."
GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
Governments and global organizations have a lot of power.
But as they are political and strategic entities, they aren’t incentivized to tell us the Truth. https://twitter.com/joshmich/status/1235201253296263169?s=20
Governments and global organizations have a lot of power.
But as they are political and strategic entities, they aren’t incentivized to tell us the Truth. https://twitter.com/joshmich/status/1235201253296263169?s=20
The Age of BULLSHIT
We are going through a knowledge crisis.
It’s a dangerous time we live in, and in order to solve many of the challenges we face, we need, first, to focus on the meta-problems.
We are going through a knowledge crisis.
It’s a dangerous time we live in, and in order to solve many of the challenges we face, we need, first, to focus on the meta-problems.
The Iterative Model of Truth
The @COVID19Tracking is a great example of this.
It was not presented as “the Truth” in the way the New York Times does.
It shows the most accurate data, with revision history. https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1252726444607692800?s=20
The @COVID19Tracking is a great example of this.
It was not presented as “the Truth” in the way the New York Times does.
It shows the most accurate data, with revision history. https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1252726444607692800?s=20
The GitHub Model of Truth
It's a different mindset.
In the GitHub model of truth, you know there will be mistakes, and you’re okay with it.
As soon as you discover a problem, you correct it, and everyone can submit corrections.
It's a different mindset.
In the GitHub model of truth, you know there will be mistakes, and you’re okay with it.
As soon as you discover a problem, you correct it, and everyone can submit corrections.
How to Align the Incentives?
What if “being right” meant earning money?
We could modify social media engagement metrics with social features based on a prediction market.
What if “being right” meant earning money?
We could modify social media engagement metrics with social features based on a prediction market.
Imagine if instead of liking a tweet about an economically impactful statement, you could “bet” financially on it.
This approach would change the nature of the attention you give to the truth. You wouldn’t want to back the false claims, right? https://twitter.com/RokoMijicUK/status/1266017819801595904
This approach would change the nature of the attention you give to the truth. You wouldn’t want to back the false claims, right? https://twitter.com/RokoMijicUK/status/1266017819801595904
New Social Media
Is it possible to have this approach to the truth using the existing social media?
It seems hard.
The social media were built with different motivations at the core.
We need media made entirely to reveal the truth. https://twitter.com/XFaure/status/1092444972635303936
Is it possible to have this approach to the truth using the existing social media?
It seems hard.
The social media were built with different motivations at the core.
We need media made entirely to reveal the truth. https://twitter.com/XFaure/status/1092444972635303936
A few features this media should have:
- Engaging with content means you put money behind it.
- Easily shows what is factually wrong.
- Makes it easy for independent reporters to share their work and get paid for it.
- Decentralized fact-checking. https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1265993661344436226
- Engaging with content means you put money behind it.
- Easily shows what is factually wrong.
- Makes it easy for independent reporters to share their work and get paid for it.
- Decentralized fact-checking. https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1265993661344436226
Red Teams
The truth is always incomplete.
We need qualified Red Teams to help us find what's wrong.
“There are no whole truths; all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil” - Alfred North Whitehead
The truth is always incomplete.
We need qualified Red Teams to help us find what's wrong.
“There are no whole truths; all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil” - Alfred North Whitehead
For more about this 
New essay:
Our Model of Truth Is Broken, It’s Time to Rebuild It https://medium.com/@mehdi_yacoubi/our-model-of-truth-is-broken-its-time-to-rebuild-it-c2d3292cfdca
New essay:
Our Model of Truth Is Broken, It’s Time to Rebuild It https://medium.com/@mehdi_yacoubi/our-model-of-truth-is-broken-its-time-to-rebuild-it-c2d3292cfdca
