We’re taking a hard look at the modern American outlook and a few influences that shape the modern way of thinking. In particular, we’re talking about the perception of reality and the idea of whether truth can be known. My point in this series on Ontological Distortion is that as the idea of truth continues to fragment, it is correspondingly difficult to process reality in a meaningful way.
Some of this reality fuzziness can be traced back to Postmodern thought, which is present in our art, music, culture, and politics. There are many examples of postmodernism in American culture- movies like The Matrix, Purge and Barbie reflect postmodern sentiments. Songs like Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd), It’s the End of the World as We Know it (R.E.M.) and Die with a Smile (Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars) come to mind, but there are many more examples that could be cited.
And don’t forget Social Media. Social Media is saturated with postmodern thinking. Modern influencers often express morally relative opinions as they shape the thinking of their generation. Oprah Winfrey is a great early example with her opinion about truth- Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. The new generation continues this trend by questioning authority, rejecting absolutes, unclear ideas on what makes reality- far too many too list.
Politics has not escaped postmodernism either. Presidential Counselor Kellyanne Conway famously commented about facts, Our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts to that… Historically, facts have been viewed as information that is objectively true- not something open to debate.
Facts are empirical, not based on emotions or feelings. And what is the definition of a fact, everyone? Webster Dictionary tells us, A fact is an objective, verifiable reality or occurrence. It is information or a statement backed by evidence and independent of personal feelings, beliefs, or interpretations.
And here’s another big political one: Fake news. In this new political way of thinking, news has two categories- real and fake. News is not an objective event that took place historically but rather a created event to be interpreted and understood on a case by case basis. Fake news is illegitimate and should be discarded by the intelligent and informed. News becomes a relative experience, defined and determined by the individual not historically verifiable events that took place.
Artificial Intelligence
And this is where Artificial Intelligence comes in. Adding to the underlying currents of postmodernism, AI contributes to Ontological Distortion by blurring the line between what is real and what is not real. AI looks, feels and sounds real but is man made. It is designed to look authentic and intentionally mimic what is actually real.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t reject AI. AI is already having a positive influence on our lives. AI is a tool. It can increase productivity. It can simplify tasks and quickly summarize large amounts of data. But is it the end all be all that we are being told it is? No, not at all.
In my opinion, the benefits of AI are being over hyped and it cannot deliver on some of the expectations being created for it. Further, there are many unanswered questions about the AI, some of which are uncomfortable and complicated.
And there will be negative outcomes as well. Here are a couple of links to check out on some current issues with AI:
Opposition to Data Centers
Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area
$64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition
Data Centers Driving Up Energy Prices
Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills
AI Data Centers trigger massive ‘irreversible’ 76% electricity price spike in largest US region
Articles on AI
How Artificial Intelligence Is Shaping The New Media And EntertAInment Economy
Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI for Media & Journalism: AI and Journalism
AI Is Distorting Practically Everything About the Economy (WSJ article)
AI face creates unrealistic expectations of what can be done with plastic surgery
When it comes to media and popular culture, AI can be deliberatively confusing. There will come a time when society clears up the confusion by developing tools to distinguish what is real from what is artificial, but many of these tools do not yet exist. Mechanisms to evaluate and measure AI information will develop in time, but for now the water is muddy.
As a result, when we combine postmodern worldviews with Artificial Intelligence it becomes hard to know what is real and hard to know the truth. This means we must use critical thinking and be grounded in our understanding of reality and how the world works.
We cannot afford to be naïve and not carefully check sources for the information we consume. It’s perhaps more important than at any other time in history. We are living in a post-truth world. That’s reality- our reality right now in America.
That’s all I’m going to say about Ontological Distortion for now. I hope you have a great week!
Ernie