Even thought Farhad Manjoo's novel True Enough mainly focuses on the different truths in political events, I find the psychological aspects that he brings up to be fascinating. Specifically, Manjoo explains the phenomena of selective exposure and selective perception. I found these two concepts to be particularly interesting because they explain how we use our existing beliefs and biases to shape our own realities. Both of these ideas can show why people may develop divergent truths over the same concept.
According to Manjoo, selective exposure says that "in an effort to avoid the cognitive dissonance that comes out of receiving news that challenges our beliefs, we cunningly select the messages we consume" (30). By selectively exposing ourselves to certain sources, we are creating a small comfortable sphere in which we can obtain news that confirms our biases. To me, this idea can be somewhat disturbing. If we are not willing to listen to all sides of an issue, including beliefs that contradict ours, then we are becoming too narrow-minded. Instead, we should be open-minded, and we should take into account all views to get a better and more balance perspective on an issue. In this way, we can better understand other people and the world.
Selective perception says that "even when two people of opposing ideologies overcome their tendency toward selective exposure and choose to watch the same thing, they may still end up being pushed apart from each other" (71). I think that Manjoo provides us with great examples of this concept, from the 9/11 attacks to the Princeton-Dartmouth football game. Like selective exposure, this idea is disturbing, more so especially since both sides are exposed to the same thing. If we cannot perceive the same reality, then it will be harder to understand other people and their views on the same event.
Overall, these concepts show why groups can be fragmented, creating tension and lack of unity. Furthermore, with today's overwhelming amount of news sources and technology, selective exposure and perception is even easier to achieve. Although we have a wide range of options, we are still narrow-minded in our choosing.
I like this post Mary and I also share your fasination on the psycological aspects that Manjoo continually explains. I like the fact that he not only focuses on the truths about politics but also gives a potential explaination as to where people's perspectives come from. Lastly, I think you make a good point that in our media today we are presented with a range of options however this almost makes us more narrow-minded because the individual then has to make certain choices as to which sources we follow.
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