In a world that runs on copious amounts of content, all readily accessible at our fingertips and much of it geared toward making a profit through clickbait advertising and multi-level marketing schemes, it can be extremely difficult to know who or what to trust.
I think most of us choose to believe that people are generally good at heart, and wouldn’t lie to us on purpose. That’s admirable, but it can make us easy prey for scammers, hackers and grifters. Knowing how to spot a con is becoming increasingly challenging, as evidenced by the number of people who’ve been taken advantage of by scam calls, “catfishing” on social media and those “as seen on TV” gadgets and gizmos. Throw in a few YouTube channel hosts (who get paid every time you watch their emotionally overloaded videos and are usually selling something on the side) and we’ve got a mess on our hands.
On the flip side, we run the risk of becoming so suspicious and skeptical of everyone and everything that we believe nothing we hear and trust no one. That puts us at risk of failing to recognize real warnings when they come our way. Is that fire alarm going off a real alarm, or a false alarm? Do we wait to act until we smell smoke or see flames? Is that weather report or “road closed” sign really something we need to pay attention to, or is it just meteorological hype or the government wanting to inconvenience our travel plans?
Somewhere there’s a balance between sheer gullibility and toxic skepticism. We need to find it.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
