Indifference: Liberation for some, a burden for all

Indifference...causes a lot of problems but also offeres a lot of opportunities, but are they worth it?

This article is slightly different in nature, as it aims to abstract the influences of today's technology on society. What I say here is expressed more with the intention of at least trying to make a difference.

Illustration: What we see, is not always correct nor sharp

It is hard to imagine everyday life without the media presence we have today; we are constantly surrounded by it. Everyday life is becoming more hectic, non-stop, and always geared toward optimization, regardless of any short- or long-term setbacks. 

This bombardment of media can quickly become overwhelming and tempt us to approach the media selectively or not at all, indulging in (selective) ignorance. Occasionally, during periods when one needs peace and quiet, or perhaps during vacations, this may be helpful. However, one might consider that if one only allowed oneself this during vacations, as in the past, then isn't it a luxury, and doesn't one's social responsibility oblige one to keep oneself informed? To be clear about what politics, the economy, and society itself are doing at the moment. 

If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.

~ Mark Twain

One can try to escape all the hustle and bustle of constant stimuli and simultaneously indulge in one's duty, especially one's privilege of obtaining information. 

The media are our tool for disseminating knowledge, but the more selectively and restrictively we consume them, the more we jeopardize our own perception of reality, as every magazine, every article, every video, and every individual has a slight bias. Only when the sum of all these influences moves in one direction and does not balance itself out can one's own perception and opinion formation be deceived, and the difficult and sensitive structure of self-perception can quickly and strongly change to the detriment of oneself and others.

Reality can often be sobering. Reality is shaped by almost insurmountable forces whose influence on oneself is difficult to comprehend, so that the end result, this powerlessness, can simply be too much. One resigns oneself and lets things slide.

Indifference as a symptom of being overwhelmed is not welcome, it is an excuse and perhaps simply wrong, but then the question arises as to why technologies that offer a temporary escape from reality are gaining such ground. People try to protect themselves, and there are many ways to do so.

But protecting ourselves from the enemy of excessive demands and thereby surrendering ourselves to the danger of manipulation is more than just a fair compromise. It sacrifices liberal thinking at the expense of no longer having any reason to do so. The former burden is completely banished and one can devote oneself to supposedly more important things, but in doing so one also turns one's back on the benefits of self-determination and self-awareness.

A middle ground, no matter how it settles for each individual, is the path that makes it possible to remain fair to oneself and at the same time be fair to all those who stand beside one in society.