How do we make most decisions? – based on a under-the-surface super fast process of emotions. Emotions have evolutionarily served the purpose of doing the job of thinking, so we don’t waste time in overthinking an opportunity or get bitten by a snake 🐍.
Media has been influencing this super-subtle process of judgement while using images with cues all over them that trigger particular emotions amongst viewers – example, a frowning-face picture is taken out of context to serve the headline <just one of the very clear cues that our non-conscious picks up, subtle cues are hard to put finger on and are more dangerous>.
The real risk is that we end up using all the information we have, to justify <rationalise> the judgment our non-conscious has already made based on a combination of that cue and the specific <confirmation?> memories that it triggers – process of emotions.
Now imagine millions of people doing this simultaneously and reaching conclusions based on cues and information that never had any casual links proven!
Are we that lazy that we don’t mind media influencing our decisions and forget that they are suppose to provide unbiased information? We are! To maintain the status-quo of our beliefs, we further pick things from the same source (media) that best serve us.
#unbiasedmedia #heuristics