Faced with the avalanche of Fake News and the fall in trust in traditional media, how to extract useful information from this mass which feeds the news feed of our social networks. How to escape the invisible dictatorship of digital technology or how to take the time to think before speaking out on these social networks? Our Blogger Acutis wants to show us how to prioritize quality over quantity of information.
Socrates is a Greek philosopher well known for his pearls of wisdom and his dialogues staged by his disciple Plato, more than two thousand years ago. One day someone came to him and said: Listen Socrates, I have to tell you how your friend behaved. Stopped ! interrupted Socrates. Have you passed what you want to tell me through the three sieves? Three sieves? said the other, full of astonishment. – Yes, my good friend, three sieves. Let’s see if what you have to tell me can get through to them.
The first test is that of truth : have you checked if everything you want to tell me is TRUE? – No, I heard him say it and… Very good. So you do not know if it is the truth ? Hammer Socrates! Good, good! Did you at least pass it through the second sieve?
The second test is that of kindness : if what you have to tell me is not entirely true, is it at least something GOOD? The other replied hesitantly: – No, it’s not something GOOD, quite the contrary… – Hum! So, Socrates continued, you want to tell me bad things about him and you’re not even sure if they’re true?
The third test is that of utility : let’s try to use the third sieve now and see if it is USEFUL to tell me what you want to tell me… – Useful? Not precisely… – Well, said Socrates smiling, if what you have to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful, I prefer not to know it and as for you, I advise you to forget it .
Separating the wheat from the chaff
The information relating to the dismissal of the head of the office in charge of press and communication at the Burundian prime minister following his tweet recently created a buzz on social networks and showed that these places remain slippery slopes that should not be there. go only to consume but caution and discernment must be the rule. So how to apply this Socrates method on social networks.
Social networks are clearly useful, such as Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, but be careful, you must consume them cautiously so as not to fall into the trap of the sirens of social selling. So let’s put all the information to Socrates’ three-sieve test.
1. Is this true? Any information found on social networks must be analyzed closely and especially in the face of a mass of information, and fake News, take a step back and above all keep a critical mind. Also know, as the French philosopher and essayist Joseph Joubert says, that what is true in the lamp is not always true in the sun. Always be sure of the source of information and if in any doubt, it is not a good idea to act. However, these social networks contain some other interesting information. So know how to consume enriching content and above all teach your children how to use these sources of information properly.
2. Is it good? Sharing something taking into account this criterion does not always mean giving good news but this criterion consists of giving one’s opinion whether one is favorable or against a fact, a situation, a subject or a news item while respecting the opinions of others and by expressing oneself with kindness and respect. This could reduce the violence that occurs on social networks, especially if it concerns political issues.
3. Is it useful? Useful is something whose use and employment is or can be advantageous, it is the consequence of truthfulness and benevolence. But the reference is always given by the editorial lines of the different social networks that we use but also by our status (here think of the professional or personal account). For Twitter, do not hesitate to create 2 accounts to separate your professional and personal publications, but this always calls for caution to avoid setbacks.
From now on, every time I speak on social networks (mainly Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter), I only do so under three conditions: Is it TRUE, GOOD and USEFUL?
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