False Sense of Reality in "True Enough"

Farhad Manjoo’s True Enough exposes the American public’s inability to think objectively, and how biases are subconsciously formed as individuals are fed information from different forms of media.  Now more than ever, Americans are forced to question reality, as theories that seemingly have no factual evidence are accepted.  Individuals with prestigious credentials speak persuasively and others believe them, even though they may be speaking “gobbledygook”.  Manjoo does not provide us with a solution for overcoming the false sense of reality that the media has created; he simply exposes us to the dangers of technology and globalization.  He describes how “no longer are we merely holding opinions different from one another; we’re also holding different facts” (2).  The most that we can do is recognize that this false sense of reality is tearing society apart.  By recognizing how information is constantly mangled to appeal to the biases of certain individuals, we can strive towards living in a society that eliminates making decisions based upon a false sense of reality.

The false sense of reality that is present in American society is heightened by “the burrowing underground of propaganda, the transformation of salesmanship from a flashy, street-corner affair to a quiet, dressed-up sport of cunning and deceit” (201).  Subconsciously, individuals are fed information that they process without even recognizing it.  VNR’s are implanted into newscasts, as advertisers have discovered that people are more likely to remember a product in this medium than in an actual commercial.  This creates an emotional response that appeals to the senses.  We suddenly feel like we need to buy Snickers, for example, as a Halloween snack. 

          Manjoo further exposes us to our vulnerability in accessing reliable sources of information through the Dr. Fox experiment.  In this experiment a comedian said “a whole lot in a style that suggested something of great import but that was actually complete nonsense” (113).  Someone who knew absolutely nothing about a subject could convince listeners that he was an expert on the subject, based on pure humor and personal style.  He managed to fool actual experts in a field, just by talking persuasively.  In fact, “students who were shown lectures that were high in both content and expressiveness reported the most satisfaction with their professor” (116).  As a society, America seemingly appreciates “style over substance” (116).  This certainly highlights our inability to perceive information correctly, and how a false sense of reality affects our ability to make decisions.  

Bias in "True Enough"

From reading the first half of "True Enough", Manjoo has showed me how biased we all are.  Nearly everything that is presented to us is formulated by a biased opinion, and then we formulate our own biased opinions.  Statistics are analyzed in a biased manner, in order to present facts that seem to support a certain view.  The major news networks, such as Fox and CNN, only present biased viewpoints to us now.  

Reporters like Anderson Cooper have made it big by voicing their opinions.  Cooper went after government officials during Hurricane Katrina because of their slow response time and urgency to aid disaster victims.  As viewers, we like to listen to the viewpoints of those who agree with us, as they reinforce our already existing biases.  

The way in which a person presents information is often more influential than what they are actually saying.  The Dr. Fox experiments show us that we are more tuned in to accepting peripheral cues than actually processing information and forming our own opinions.  Because Dr. Fox lectured students in a very expressive manner, they rated him very highly, even though there was no relevant content within his speech.  Just because he appeared to be knowledgeable, and he presented his argument in a persuasive manner, everybody loved him.  This is similar to how patients took incorrect advice on cold treatment because the doctor seemed warm and trustworthy, whereas they ignored a doctor's proper advice because he seemed careless and boring.  Our biases affect our decisions everyday. 

"True Enough" Reaction

          "True Enough" by Farhad Manjoo has been an eye-opening read so far.  Over the last few years, I have become aware of some of the conspiracy theories around the world.  Manjoo further examines these conspiracies when he describes how these theories actually gain momentum.  He describes a movement during World War II in which a shortage of protein would occur unless housewives began serving organ meats for their families.  The government persuaded housewives to serve this meat by changing what was acceptable for them.  This revealed that "what we understand to be the "truth" around us-is defined through our interactions with other people" (52).  Just because the housewives engaged in "organ-meat discussion groups", they were able to change their habits because they mutually agreed to serve organ meat. 
          Additionally, with the constant evolution of technology, it's becoming harder to understand what actually is real.  Manjoo describes this perfectly when he states "To light, the real danger of living in the age of Photoshop isn't the proliferation of fake photos.  Rather, it's that true photos will be ignored as phonies" (82).  Will photots someday lose all of their credibility?  Someone could easily photoshop an entire gallery of fake photos, in which they boast achievements that they never actually achieved.  At what point will we have to question how real our own photos are?  And when will every photo out there be suspect to investigation?  It's amazing how much technology can help us, yet at the same time hurt us.  How much of what we see in the media is true, and how much is false? And how much is technology separating what we perceive to be the truth, and what actually is the truth?