We, the people, need "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Is that even possible in a world of misinformation and international access to your iPhone through the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Kik, SnapChat or Twitter? Where we once could believe, if it was in the news, it had been verified. Now the "information network," whatever it really consists of, can '"produce the news." The rapid pace of information transfer no longer allows for verification of the story and/or for the source of the story.
It is interesting to watch our national security agencies, like the FBI, face a Senate or House Committee. The Congressional interrogation process is always too late to correct any problem from the supposed security leak, or hearsay story reported by a source. It might have the effect of making the majority of Americans aware of the committee's efforts, but it seems to always be way "behind the curve." By the time the Committee accepts their obligation to "protect their constituents" from the evil information, everyone with an iPhone has seen reports of the leak and moved on to their Facebook page with the daily update on their activities.
It is extremely hard to speculate where society will be 10 years, or even five years, from now. For someone who grew up with the Dick Tracy cartoon character talking to a wrist watch communication device, and actually seeing it evolve into the billions of iPhones in the world today, the change is incredible. In another story dating my generation, a recent news story in the business section of the newspaper reported that the last of the 747 passenger aircraft will be retired from major airline service at the end of 2017. That doesn't mean they will not be flown for other uses such as freight and unscheduled airline service. It does mean I have witnessed a complete evolution of a cycle in the life of a commercial passenger aircraft. It makes one feel old, but it is nothing compared to the changes my grandchildren will see and experience, particularly in the area of technology and communications.
No matter what device the future holds, however, with the need for "truth and the whole truth," the world risks absolute chaos. A few days ago, on a news program covering a member of Congress, the elected person quoted "highly respected sources, from a printed source." Without any further information to go on one can not check to verify any of the statements. A respected source could be this newspaper or even the Congressional Record. As a listener, it left me with no confidence in their comments. It would be most flattering if someone read this article and quoted me in a discussion with someone. However, it is a personal view -- opinion editorial -- and when I quote something, I try to leave a trail for you, the reader, to verity the source. In the instance mentioned earlier, we were left to trust our elected official having complete confidence in the source and expecting us to take their word for its truthfulness.
Not being very familiar with the iPhone (or smart phone), I do not have the faintest grasp on their potential for long-term benefit to society. Being from another earlier generation that is really "way, way behind the curve," the best I can offer is the very simple use of an aging computer. What I do recognize in the proliferation of the iPhone, is the potential for misinformation in reliance on electronic devices that have no border limitations and speeds approaching unprecedented limits. The use of an "app" that allows sending a message that deletes itself in a matter of seconds is scary to one who remembers the story of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
My fear is the potential explosion of fake news in an exponential fashion similar to that "now historical" 1938 radio broadcast. The number of people who were tuned in to the radio broadcast was minuscule compared to those who heard about the broadcast from supposedly reliable news sources. The dissemination of the story led the "Editor and Publisher" -- the newspaper industry's trade journal at the time -- to issue this statement: "The nation as a whole continues to face the dangers of incomplete, misunderstood news over a medium which has yet to prove... that it is competent to perform the news job." {Slate.com, history heading, The Myth of ...} Remember, that was a warning in 1938. Almost 80 years later the warning is true, the source, or potential is still the same. That warning should come with every iPhone.
Are those who continue to provide increased opportunities for the electronic media apps aware they are equally at risk of contributing to a potential misunderstanding of this type and magnitude?
Where do you and I go to separate the truth from the near truth from the pure fiction?
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Editor's note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 03/29/2017