Silence: An explanation, if you will.
Silence is golden; it’s a method of
communication, which seems to have lost its allure but not it’s effect. In an
age where we want direct, on the spot, clear and transparent communication, the
simple keep quiet and nod your head seems like a dying art, a bit like writing
letters, going to the post office or saying “Nek Minit lol”. The speed in which
we receive information is astonishing; the time between an incident occurring
and its inevitable materialization as a status on your news feed is awe-inspiring.
Time and money are no longer factors with
updated news articles around the clock, instant messaging and with the aid of the
ever-advancing smart phones no major incident will be missed. Who could doubt
these amazing advances in technology, this shift in the relaying of
information, who doesn’t want the world at their fingertips, it’s the best
thing since sliced bread. Well except for the mail man who’s out of a job and the
paperboy who had to sell his bike but other then that the system is perfect.
Isn’t it?
I’m not a big technology guy, I was happy
with a Nokia 3210 and the closet’s thing to an app was the game snake, if you
were born after 1995 ask your older siblings. I purchased my first smart phone
last year and found myself inundated with offers to download free apps, an app
for games, dating apps, news apps, there’s even a domino’s app that lets you
order pizza. I know what you’re thinking; did this guy just crawl out from
under a rock or something? No I didn’t but it was all very alien to me.
The first app I downloaded was SBS The
World Game followed by a couple of news apps. I sat down with my cup of coffee,
lit a smoke and proceeded to get my daily news fix, Syria’s in turmoil, Egypt’s
a mess, manufacturing is leaving Australia to pursue cheaper labour
opportunities overseas, more of the same really. As I went to put my phone down
I accidently pressed the forum section on this particular news organisations
app and low and behold I’d stumbled onto what can only be described as a free
for all of public opinion.
The rubbish that was being thrown around on
this thing was unbelievable, “ladies and gentleman when entering an internet
chat forum please keep your arms and legs safely secured, do not remove your
helmet and prepare to go full retard”. What began as a debate on manufacturing
turned into a no holds barred economists cage match, anyone and anything that
could be thrown around as an excuse for the state of affairs was. It didn’t
have to be plausible, feasible or true but once out in the public arena some
members of the general public accept it as fact.
This incident really got me thinking, do
people really believe what they read and see on the Internet? How can you
differentiate between fact and fiction in a place where everyone has an opinion
and clearly isn’t afraid to voice it? How do you find truth? Who are these
people and is the information being presented credible or is it just the rumour
mill in full swing? How do you know their not just trolls (Dickweeds on the
internet) who are having you on?
Well the fact of the matter is you don’t so
I thought id test the theory.
Step 1- Spread a rumour:
·
“Did you hear about?” “Yeah I
knew there was something up, I walked past her in the corridor today and she
just looked at me and nodded, weird right” “Really weird… So then maybe the rumors
are true”, “MUST BE”, “? just in boxed me asking if I’d heard the story, LOL
bro, yeah I heard it MUST BE TRUE”
Step 2 – See how quick it spreads:
·
Really quick
Step 3 – The person who was affected by the
rumour was aware of the experiment and
was to inform me if any one actually approached them regarding said rumour
after seven days.
·
No one
Step 4 – See how long people continued
discussing it behind the persons back.
·
2 months of back handed remarks
So I guess by now your probably thinking
what the hell does any of this have to do with silence as a form of
communication, well my friends when people are so miserable in their own lives
that they need to talk about other people to draw attention away from the
monotonous existence they call a life, they don’t actually care whether it’s
true or not so its better to greet it with a nod of the head and a smile than
to dignify it with a verbal response.
…PEACE
