IWM INSTITUTE

“We live in an age of information overload. Unlock your phone and fall into a black hole, a storm of click bait headlines and urgent alerts. Millions of tiny sound bites flitting past without context or depth. 

We live in an age of information weaponization. Alleged Russian meddling in US elections, accusations of interference in the Brexit vote. Sensationalism, misinformation, distortion, it leaves you wondering who can you trust? Are you getting the full story? Are your choices your own? It’s hard to sort fact from fiction from fake news. So where does this leave us on the big issues? War, conflict, suffering, power. Look at Syria, Yemen, Libya, where hundreds of thousands have been lost in the last few decades. When did these conflicts begin? How will they end? Why does it matter? 

The constant deluge of information and media images of catastrophes, can leave us feeling saturated and powerless and when problems feel this insurmountable, it’s tempting to turn away and switch off. 

But we don’t have to sleepwalk into this world. We can go deeper than the news cycle, connect with the people behind the headlines, see how 100 years of history gives us a clearer understanding of today and where we might be tomorrow. We can find a source of knowledge we trust and the time and space to make sense of it. A society based on understanding and compassion, that’s a very different place. Decide which world you want to live in.”