🛠️Restoring Trust 📖
📢The Fourth Estate
November 9, 2024, Vol. 2, Issue 47
Cite as: Coleman, Anita S. (2024, November 9). Restoring Trust: The Fourth Estate. Infophilia, a positive psychology of information, 2 (47).
✨Welcome, new readers, to Infophilia—a space for exploring how a positive psychology of information, or infophilia—our human affinity for knowledge and connection—can help us all thrive, individually and collectively. I'm thrilled to learn about the unique connections new readers bring to information styles, a love of books, diverse cultures, gardens, technology, and more—creating a shared vision of a “grand” theory of information! You can browse the Archive to see the complete collection of my writings (both open access and paywalled). And to all returning readers, welcome back! 🤗 Feel free to reach out anytime with ideas, writings, or questions.
➡️If you need a refresher on knowledge resistance, check out this video short (tips are in the description) or read the essay here.
🧠This resistance to credible information has, over recent decades, contributed to a decline in trust toward some of our core democratic institutions. 🤝But here’s the good news: each of us has the power to help bring that trust back—through our everyday actions, conversations, and information choices.
🪞Infophilia, we’ve seen, offers a way forward. Adaptive infophilia encourages us to approach looking for information with intentionality, curiosity, and open-mindedness. By developing intentional information habits we can help rebuild our own trust in the institutions that underpin democracy.
🪬I’d love to hear from you! Please consider taking a few moments to participate in one or both of these quick polls on democratic institutions and your personal information style. I present this invitation first. Then, we’ll dive into a discussion on the Fourth Estate—the media and press—using the case of Elon Musk’s Twitter vs. Substack. We’ll close with Wealth Watch, Wellness Wisdom, and Your 5-minute AI. These sections allow us to see how information in financial markets and technology can shape our perception and interaction with the world—valuable insight for cultivating a healthy information lifestyle.
📝I wanted to share SearchGPT and Perplexity.ai in their own “factcheck” voices in Notes, but it became too long. Email me, if interested.
📊My Invitation
Complete one or both of these quick, 1-question, 100% anonymous polls to get a snapshot of your views: ⬇️
What are the Institutions Necessary for a Democracy in the USA? (select from 15)
What’s Your Information Style? (select from 6)
📢Elon Musk a Threat to Free Speech and Freedom of the Press?
The Case of Twitter and Substack
🤔Elon Musk’s actions regarding Substack have raised concerns about free speech and the openness of information. When Substack launched its Notes feature in April 2023, Twitter (or X) restricted Substack links, which limited the reach of Substack content on Musk’s platform. Although Musk initially denied blocking these links, he later acknowledged his opposition to rival platforms. This tense relationship between Musk and Substack, combined with his influence on Twitter, has led to concerns about how centralized control can affect the flow of information.
📰I’ve been reading of the competition and complaints, on and off, for a year or so now. On Notes after the Election Day results, a Norwich-based (UK) writer on Substack expressed a concern about former President Trump’s re-election and Musk’s apparent close ties to power, especially with rumors of Musk being positioned to lead a new government initiative on efficiency. Musk's evolving public image—from a celebrated innovator and sustainability advocate to a more controversial figure whose actions have sparked debates about free speech—reflects broader societal shifts. His high-profile decisions, particularly regarding content moderation on Twitter/X, intersect with pre-existing trends of media distrust and the growing appeal of alternative information sources. While Musk remains influential in technology and sustainability, his entry into social media ownership highlights the complex interplay between platform governance, free speech principles, and public perceptions in the digital age. This kind of multifaceted evolution underscores the challenges of balancing innovation, corporate power, and societal impact in an era of rapidly changing information landscapes. Musk has already clashed with regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Digital Services Act. Platforms are required to remove illegal content.
🔍This is an ongoing debate and it reminds us of the need to critically evaluate the information channels we rely on, particularly as centralized control over platforms can influence our public discourse.
💡What Can We Do?
By identifying and cultivating an adaptive information style—one that balances curiosity with critical thinking—we can each contribute to a healthier media landscape. Our actions shape the Fourth Estate by fostering transparency and accountability.
📚Engage with diverse sources to strengthen adaptive infophilia.
🔍Promote credible information to support democratic dialogue.
📢Challenge knowledge resistance by exploring new perspectives.
😭Embrace healthy humor and satire to foster open-mindedness and insight.
💸Wealth Watch
After the election, markets worldwide showed optimism. The VIX Index—a ‘fear gauge’—dropped below 16, signaling reduced anxiety. Trump’s proposed tax cuts and deregulation policies were welcomed by investors, with companies like private prison operators GEO Group and CoreCivic seeing stock spikes due to anticipated policy shifts regarding deportation. Read more here. Meanwhile, Microsoft has bolstered its AI data centers, openly acknowledged by Satya Nadella as a constraint, bringing in Jay Parikh (of Facebook) to manage growth. After a tough day on October 31 when shares dropped to around $405, MSFT is back up to about $422. Check out the latest numbers here. These movements show how shifts in policy and tech investment are closely watched, linking economic behavior to our digital age’s information flow. 💰
🤖 Your 5-minute AI - MAL (Machine Audio Learning)
Last year, Paul McCartney used AI to help create a new Beatles song, Now and Then, which is now nominated for a Grammy. What technology made this possible?
🐞The AI tool, MAL, has a fascinating background. Initially developed by the New Zealand police as a forensic tool, it was later enhanced by the renowned (visual effects and animations) VFX powerhouse Weta for creative purposes. MAL first came into the spotlight in director Peter Jackson's documentary The Beatles: Get Back, where it helped isolate voices in archival recordings. For instance, it allowed John Lennon’s vocals to be separated from background noise—including a piano and TV sounds—in the original demo, preserving the authenticity of Lennon’s performance.
🪲This wasn’t about creating synthetic vocals; it was about maintaining Lennon’s true sound. The technology works by pinpointing specific voices and isolating them from complex sound environments, much like how Zoom filters out background noise in a video call. Bottom line: there’s a lot of human creativity working in tandem with the AI to achieve such remarkable results.
🌱Wellness Wisdom
🤡Humor and music are powerful tools for processing today’s fast-paced information. Labeling satire or altered content helps keep our love of information grounded in intentionality—after all, infophilia is about cultivating a positive, healthy relationship with information. Participatory fakery where groups create and share doctored images or memes for laughs, shows how our collective infophilia often thrives in these shared creative moments. And, like we explored with Stephen Colbert’s truthiness, sometimes a twist on the truth is just what people need to connect with authenticity. (There’s more research about satire and humor that I’ll be sharing!)
🎧Similarly, Coldplay’s WE PRAY blends voices from around the world - besides Chris Martin, there’s English rapper Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, Palestinian-Chilean musician Elyanna, and Argentine singer Tini - embodying the diversity that infophilia embraces. With five versions to choose from, the song reminds us that different perspectives, voices, and words in different languages - baraye - enrich our informational health experiences. (Baraye - meaning for or because - is a Farsi word.* Link to Tini’s official version is at the end).
Coming next: We explored AI assistants last week, and next, I hope to dive into AI agents—they’re on the horizon! Interestingly, AI adoption is already booming globally, with India and China leading the way, and the U.S. following. It's something to think about as we continue exploring how personal and collective information styles intersect with the institutions that uphold democracy. 💭
Have a restorative weekend and a great week,
Anita
📝Notes
* The 2022 story behind the chorus of baraye in WE PRAY: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/31/coldplay-iranian-protest-song-baraye
I used Perplexity.ai and SearchGPT to factcheck the Elon Musk claims made by Substack writers. Here are some of the sources the two AI IR assistants used.
SearchGPT used Bing (which retrieved from Business Insider, The Wrap, and Politico)
Substack CEO says he was “incredibly disappointed” at Elon Musk for throttling tweets with Substack links because it “hurt writers” | Business Insider India. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2024, from https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/substack-ceo-says-he-was-incredibly-disappointed-at-elon-musk-for-throttling-tweets-with-substack-links-because-it-hurt-writers/articleshow/99496066.cms
Musk vs. Europe: The upcoming battle over free speech. (2022, April 26). POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/elon-musk-europe-online-content-free-speech/
Connelly, E. A. (2023, April 6). NPR Protests Twitter for Labeling Its Account “State-Affiliated Media”: “It Is Unacceptable.” The Wrap. https://www.thewrap.com/npr-protests-twitter-elon-musk-label/
Perplexity.ai used eight sources (numbered ones below)
(1) Getahun, Hannah. n.d. The Feud Between Elon Musk’s Twitter and Substack Explained. “Elon Musk and Substack Are Beefing. Here’s a Rundown of the Back and Forth between the Twitter CEO and the Blogging Site.” Business Insider. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-feud-between-elon-musks-twitter-and-substack-explained-2023-4.
(2) The New Republic. n.d. “Why Elon Musk Is Nuking Substack on Twitter.” Accessed November 8, 2024. https://newrepublic.com/post/171743/elon-musk-nuking-substack-twitter.
(3) Krakauer, Steve. 2023. “Rabbit Hole: Elon Musk’s eXtremely Disappointing First Year Running Twitter.” Substack newsletter. Fourth Watch (blog). August 7, 2023.
(4) Matt Novak. “Elon Musk Denies Substack Links Are Blocked On Twitter, A Claim That’s Very Misleading.” n.d. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/04/08/elon-musk-denies-substack-links-are-blocked-on-twitter-a-claim-thats-very-misleading/.
(5) Merrill, Jeremy B., and Drew Harwell. 2023. “Elon Musk’s X Is Throttling Traffic to Websites He Dislikes.” Washington Post, August 15, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/15/twitter-x-links-delayed/.
(6) Shooter, Neil. 2024. “Why Does the Left ‘Hate’ Elon Musk?” Substack newsletter. Neil’s Substack (blog). November 2, 2024.
(7) “Substack Launches ‘Notes’ And I Get Why Elon Musk Might Feel Threatened By It.” n.d. Accessed November 8, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/04/11/substack-launches-notes-and-i-get-why-elon-musk-might-feel-threatened-by-it/.
(8) Conger, Kate, and Ryan Mac. 2023. “Twitter Takes Aim at Posts That Link to Its Rival Substack.” The New York Times, April 7, 2023, sec. Technology. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/technology/twitter-substack-elon-musk.html
Great stuff again. Two comments: First, I believe that information should never be weaponized. While we may well use information to persuade, when we turn it into a tool to cause damage or to win dominance over others, we are in territory opposite to infophilia. Second, Musk, like the president-elect, is reckless to the core. His relationship to information is to bypass the counsel of outside expertise in favor of a narcissistic belief in the power of his gut. This creates a "burn it all down" or "take bold chances" mentallity that minimizes the complexity of problems and generates an "I alone can fix it, and I'll do it quickly" approach. Infophilia and naricissim cannot co-exist, because infophilia demands humility and reliance on others.
I’ve so much I want to say to this. Maybe I should start scheduling some coffee chats once in a while. 1. Agreed. Information should never be weaponized. This requires a deeper embrace of all of our essential human essence. (We’re interconnected and what harms one will inevitably harm all. Just a matter of time). Unsure when, if ever, humanity will get there. But this is the hope of our evo-socio-cultural love of info (adaptive infophilia). 2) Yes, we saw the Silicon Valley culture of ‘make and break’ and ‘disruptions’ in an early essay in American techno-science - your « burn it all down » « take your chances. » Your connecting infophilia to humility as opposed to narcissism is 💯 right on. I’ve not yet drawn on political psychology but FBI Post with Doucette (2019) Dangerous Charisma: The Political Psychology of Donald Trump and his followers (2019) book first few chapters do explain.