Critical ignorance - the new way forward in the digital information world

Ever since we learned how to make sense of the world around us, we have been taught to think critically. To succeed in any field of life, you have to deploy your critical thinking skills. But is the world now telling us to critically ignore it? Go back to the ways we have been taught.

In the Digital Age, everything you see on the internet is a mix of fibs and truth. No one can differentiate the good and bad, the true and false, from a single glance. This is where critical thinking comes into play. Without it, we would go insane with the abundance of knowledge we have at our disposal.

On social media, one needs to critically filter through the comments to gain new information. Since social media is more like a canvas, ready for everyone’s stories to be a pain, one might display their opinions as facts.

The uneducated opinions, falsehood, and misinformation infiltrated into the platforms make it the worst place for a mind to grow or flourish. At a time like this, a new concept has been introduced. This concept goes by the term, ‘Critical ignorance.’

According to TheConversion, where this term first came into being, Critical Ignorance involves consciously deciding where to pay attention and what to ignore, given the limited capacity of our attention. Critical Ignorance goes beyond simply not paying attention, and requires cultivating mindful and healthy habits to effectively deal with the overwhelming amount of digital information that surrounds us.

It is now a core value that human beings, regardless of their jobs or area of expertise, require. Without it, we can flourish in this digital paradise but there is a higher chance that we will be a victim of what we call the ‘digital hellscape.’

We do agree with this new concept. Although everyone views social media through their tinted glasses, seeing only what they want, it is still not the right way to go. Without questioning the validity or accuracy of the content found online, people absorb and form opinions based on inaccurate and false info.

Critical ignorance asks one to ignore certain content completely for it is not worth spending their precious time or brain power on.

Another important aspect of this is the dominance of AI in our current age. With AI, humans have access to more information than they ever did. However since AI tools aren’t designed to critically evaluate any piece of information, you end up with ample misinformation.

The most dangerous issue at hand is all the misinformation through spreading deep fakes. For now, we have come across deep fake newscasts, followed by celebrities, and soon we shall even witness political deep fakes. With AI, these have been turned so realistic that it is impossible to spot them.

With technology advancing and the world becoming a global village, we surely are headed toward doom. Although with the help of critical ignorance, we might be able to slow down.

Photo: Freepik

Read next: New Study Reveals Key Misconceptions About Misinformation
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World