WITH the ever-broadening access to online chats, postings, and news, our culture of getting our information through informal channels has gone beyond social gatherings and office meetings. There is no need to have coffee or lunch to pick up opinions on any topic.
We often get our news secondhand, usually from others who probably got it the same way. We don’t need to be present or even connected as players to any incident or event to gain access to what’s going on around us.
The “hearsay culture” affects even business information. It can promote a particular crypto currency or stock to invest in. One is provided with a price it is likely to hit in the next few weeks due to some interest from at least two potential parties, hinting at the prospect of whales entering or leaving that will affect the stock price. This is not even considered “insider information” if coming from an anonymous posting.
The use of intermediaries to deliver bad news (you need to look for another job) rather than formal e-mails taps into this hearsay culture. A person may be designated as the unofficial messenger. He is informally referred to as a “hit man.” He only delivers bad news. Good news can be delivered more directly — we’re sending you to Paris to check out the patisseries near the Louvre.
The parlor game “rumor” illustrates the unreliability of information whispered as hearsay in a chain of conversations from one person to the next, drifting ever farther from the original source as it finally ends with the last person in the chain. In the game of rumor mongering, details are distorted beyond recognition.
In a thriller on the media coverage of the original Iraq invasion, Collateral Damage (2018) by James Long, the main character is a journalist. The narrative on the war is controlled by the military, including choosing which journalists can join the pool of reporters accompanying the troops. Certain videos of collateral damage like fatalities in the civilian sector or even deaths from “friendly fire” are banned. The hoped-for narrative on the media coverage must be a fight between good and evil, with the former winning the battle fairly.
Controlling the narrative is not always possible with hearsay culture.
The “aural” tradition is a tool used to validate narratives that are floated by professional groups to support certain personalities or points of view. Was he arrested or kidnapped? The troll farms can be utilized to give a set of facts a different slant in favor the paying client.
Is it possible to just stick to the facts? But which facts are relevant and how should they be interpreted?
Research departments of banks and investment companies covering business use inputs and perspectives from the investor relations departments of listed companies that are covered. These are further validated by statistics and economic data on markets and the regulatory environment. But can such an analytic approach counter the informal grapevine?
It is easy to test this influence of the hearsay culture on how we view events. One must list down what news of the day he has gathered, and how this was discovered. These sources can fall into the following categories: 1.) It was a topic at a breakfast meeting where somebody overheard something significant from another table; 2.) It was seen online in one of the chat groups posted by someone close to the personalities involved; or, 3.) It turned out to be fake news. Of course, there are also established media outlets.
Even if one only sticks to legitimate media with its editorial oversight, the narratives found there may not always be based on documentary sources or verifiable facts. The source cited may be unnamed, with a quote not made for attribution (from anonymous sources).
Reading habits show that only headlines and maybe the first few paragraphs of a story are carefully read. Seldom do even professed online newshounds stay glued to the phone screen beyond five minutes. Are more details to be found in the remaining 30 minutes?
In checking if the slant of a story is accurate, most are content with the ultimate test for correctness — “I heard it from many different sources.” Still, informal channels can be revealing… and you can pass that on.
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda.
