Asimov wrote this wonderful essay in 1980 and it is still completely relevant.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way throughout political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
In the present day context, not only is "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." but also if I am more popular as evidenced by my social media following, then my ignorance entirely supersedes your real knowledge rendering it irrelevant. If I have mastered the fine art of click-baiting and can get a large number of people to read (or pretend to have read) what I have to say, irrespective of my credentials, I could earn the badge of an "influencer". You on the other hand with your years of education and research experience may not have the coveted "influencer" status in the very field of your expertise. Such is the irony of our times.
Once anointed as an influencer, the drivel I spew out could even start earning me money. No one cares about intrinsic value, as long as the click-through rates go up and my followers engage and communicate their reaction to all of my nonsense in real-time. Those are the metrics for me to be rewarded. There is a serious disincentive to being thoughtful and taking the time to write something of real value based on real knowledge. That is not the stuff that is buzz, retweet, like or share worthy. It will just get TLDR'd.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way throughout political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
In the present day context, not only is "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." but also if I am more popular as evidenced by my social media following, then my ignorance entirely supersedes your real knowledge rendering it irrelevant. If I have mastered the fine art of click-baiting and can get a large number of people to read (or pretend to have read) what I have to say, irrespective of my credentials, I could earn the badge of an "influencer". You on the other hand with your years of education and research experience may not have the coveted "influencer" status in the very field of your expertise. Such is the irony of our times.
Once anointed as an influencer, the drivel I spew out could even start earning me money. No one cares about intrinsic value, as long as the click-through rates go up and my followers engage and communicate their reaction to all of my nonsense in real-time. Those are the metrics for me to be rewarded. There is a serious disincentive to being thoughtful and taking the time to write something of real value based on real knowledge. That is not the stuff that is buzz, retweet, like or share worthy. It will just get TLDR'd.
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