[The Editors' Verdict] Human Attraction to Black-and-White Logic and the Role of the Media

SNS or one-person media show and tell people what they want, and people respond with interest. Since this interest translates directly into money, SNS and one-person media inevitably operate according to human nature?that is, people naturally act according to what they want. Humans are interested in conflict, but they prefer watching conflicts or fights rather than experiencing them firsthand. This is why people gather when a fight breaks out on the street. People also prefer simplicity over complexity, which explains their attraction to black-and-white logic. On the other hand, people dislike complicated explanations or procedures because they are inconvenient. These are all natural human tendencies.

The power to gather the majority is the power of this era, and those who seek this power try to exploit inherent human tendencies. For example, politicians appearing on SNS or one-person media focus on contentious issues, first stirring people’s emotions, and then presenting opinions that are clearly black or white on these issues. People naturally pay attention, cheer, and applaud opinions that align with their own thoughts. Furthermore, they openly express loyal support. Riding on this interest and support, SNS or one-person media politicians label those who think differently (or groups) as enemies and strongly criticize them, providing a sense of satisfaction to viewers. People then repeatedly listen to these statements to continuously feel this stimulation. Eventually, their words become personal beliefs, and they close their ears to opposing opinions. They reach a stage of self-assurance. Their words, that is, opinions and claims, are often not based on facts. Yet these opinions and claims become accepted as truth without undergoing complex scientific verification processes. People instinctively accept and like this.

Politicians, whether progressive or conservative, are absorbed in their own factional politics. In particular, progressive factional politics monopolizes the universal values of "reform and change," labeling conservatives as anti-reform corrupt forces and reactionaries unwilling to change. They divide people into their own side (faction) and the opposing side, excluding the latter. Exclusion means denying the very existence of the opposing side and viewing them as a group that should disappear. Exclusion is not the value of tolerance or inclusion traditionally pursued by progressive leftists. Nevertheless, progressives take the path of exclusion. They force people to take sides and accuse those who choose the other side of being unethical. Furthermore, they brand them as outdated failures. Authoritarian leftists even disparage forces of balance and moderation as groups armed with prejudice. These people may have been so frustrated and fed up that they voted for far-right candidates.

We live in a world where inherent human tendencies dominate SNS and one-person media. Politicians understand these tendencies better than anyone and cleverly exploit these media. For them, the truthfulness of words is not important. In this world, mainstream media remain trapped in past paradigms (e.g., quotation or transcription journalism). What can be expected from these media? People no longer even pay attention to paper newspapers or terrestrial broadcast news. To regain people’s interest and convey the truth to them, the media must fulfill the basic role of verifying factual claims. For example, the media should critically analyze the words and the facts conveyed by words appearing on SNS and one-person media, then carefully deliver only the truth. Unfortunately, the media still indiscriminately spread these words without criticism. It is as if the media, eager to quickly relay the government’s view that fake news must be stopped, fail to carefully consider whether the government’s statements are truly factual and whether there is clear scientific evidence to definitively label something as fake news. We expect the media to fulfill their fundamental role properly, even if it takes some time.

Jae-Won Kang, Dean of the Graduate School of Communication and Information and the Graduate School of International Information Security at Dongguk University