Today, as I was in class listening to Group 3 present on their assigned topics, I started to realize just how skewed our views of the world are. These views are not just skewed by others but by our own tendencies. The presentations these students gave today made me wonder how far off my idea of “the truth” really is.
The first term Group 3 mentioned is the illusory truth effect. This effect occurs when those around you repeat lies to you over and over again--presenting them as the undeniable truth. We tend to believe these lies as indisputable facts as we continue to hear about them-even if we were confident in their falsehood beforehand.
The third term discussed is known as the spiral of silence. The spiral of silence is the human tendency to not speak out about controversial issues, especially when a person understands that they are in the minority opinion concerning that specific issue. People would rather not let their voice be heard instead of being attacked and/or humiliated by those with different views.
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| Spiral of Silence |
The final term discussed by Group 3 is known as the Overton window. This specifically refers to politics. Political candidates are limited by the public’s opinions as to what they can promote in their campaigns. At the end of the day, they need votes. If they try to pursue a campaign that goes against what the public believes, they will not get enough votes to stand a chance in the election. As a result, it only makes sense for them to discuss and promote opinions that are accepted by the general population—even if that means straying away from their true morals and beliefs.
In conclusion, the terms and concepts discussed by Group 3 made me realize how so many of the things I believe to be true are probably far from it. Individually, we interpret data from a biased perspective based on what we want to be true. But the way we interpret data is also heavily impacted by the thoughts and opinions of those around us.
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