Fake or real? True or false? So what?

People have always made up nonsense, and made others believe it. That’s nothing new. But now computers create text that sounds human and video that looks real.

Cultures of the world have always had conflicting values, but they used to be isolated. Everyone around you agreed on what’s right and wrong, and how to live. But now everyone is connected, so these clashing values are confusing or enraging.

It helps to see almost nothing as necessarily true.

Saying “So what?” sounds dismissive, but it’s asking an important question: “So what are you going to do about it?”

You see a video of an important person saying something shocking. Is it taken out of context? Is it fake and actually generated by a computer?

You argue with someone who has different beliefs. They say your values are harmful and wrong.

The news is reporting something upsetting. Is it falsified propaganda or misrepresentation?

If it’s true, what would you do? If it’s false, what would you do? Consider both scenarios and figure out your response.

You might never know the absolute truth, so what matters are your actions. If belief or doubt makes you do something good, then choose that view because it’s useful to you. If you’ll do nothing, either way, then never mind.