Navigating Misinformation in the Age of Social Media | 9min snip from Trinity Forum Conversations

Get the app

Faith, Fear & Conspiracy with David French

Trinity Forum Conversations

chevron_right

notes

CHAPTER

Navigating Misinformation in the Age of Social Media

This chapter examines how social media exacerbates the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, impacting our political perceptions. It advocates for a more thoughtful media consumption approach and highlights the importance of emotional connections in shaping beliefs, promoting healthier communities as a remedy.

00:00

Transcript

chevron_right

Play full episode

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

Speaker 2

I also got a flat-packed chocolate mousse. I put it together this morning. It's very easy. It's three pieces. Oh, mousse like an animal, not chocolate mousse like the pudding. Yeah, that's correct. It looked really good at first, but the sun rays came in my window, and within 10 minutes, it was melted and broke on the kitchen table. Oh,

Speaker 1

boy. Is there an analogy about IKEA furniture in there?

Speaker 2

I hope not. It was funny, though. No, I don't think so. I'm ready if you are. I'm

Speaker 1

ready. Let's do it.

Speaker 2

Who got the truth?

Speaker 1

Is it you? Is it you? Is it you? Who got the truth now? Is it you? Is it you? Is it you? Sit me down, say it straight. Another story on the way. Who got the truth.

Speaker 2

Welcome to the fall 2024 season of Acquired, the podcast about great companies and the stories and playbooks behind them. I'm Ben Gilbert. I'm David Rosenthal. And we are your hosts. When you're running an in-person retail establishment, you know one thing for sure. If people are going to buy your products, they have to be in your store. And more time in your store generally means they buy more product. So what is a great way to increase time in store? Meatballs, David. Meatballs. Meatballs. And hot dogs. And hot dogs. We'll get there. So listeners, today we dive into IKEA, the company that sells over a billion Swedish meatballs a year and a lot of furniture and homewares to go with it. IKEA is an 81-year company. People visit their stores nearly 900 million times a year. And it's quirky as hell. If you've ever shopped there, you're familiar with the crazy maze of showrooms. David, I spent five hours inside the Seattle store last weekend. I went there to prepare for this episode. I didn't realize that I was going to spend the whole day there, but that's what happens when you go to IKEA. God

Speaker 1

bless you. Did you make use of Smallland?

In his book, Divided We Fall, author David French explores not only the rise of conspiracy thinking, but also the tribalism and alienation that has divided the country. On our podcast, French considers why our unsettling times have proven fertile ground for the growth of conspiracy thinking, especially within the Christian community, and he offers his thoughts on what a Christian response to conspiracy theories might entail:

“Media consumption that is not thoughtfully curated can actually be quite harmful to our perceptions of reality and our fellow man.” - David French

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in 2021. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about David French.

Especially in these chaotic times, we hope this conversation will inspire you to grow in your faith and find the freedom that comes in the pursuit of truth and the ways of its Author.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

The Rise of Isis: A Threat We Can't Ignore, by David French

A Season for Justice: Defending the Rights of Christian Home School and Church, by David French

Home and Away: A Story of Family in Time of War, by David French

Divided We Fall, by David French

Rod Dreher

Cass Sunstein

Bill Bishop

Jonathan Haidt

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

Brave New World, by Alduos Huxley

The Federalist Papers