A Psychologist Explains the 'Firehose of Falsehood' Named by the RAND Corporation from Three Perspectives

Information flowing one after another, posts of uncertain truth, and a barrage of conflicting opinions. Before you know it, you feel like giving up on thinking altogether, thinking, 'I don't know what's true anymore.'

As a certified public psychologist, as I have faced this topic myself, I have learned that the true nature of this 'fatigue' is actually created by a specific mechanism. Today, I would like to think with you about that mechanism and perspectives for engaging with information without wearing down your heart.

That 'information fatigue' is not a sign of your weakness

When we get tired of chasing information, we tend to blame ourselves, thinking, 'It's because my will is weak,' or 'I need to be better at discerning information.'

However, the first thing I want to say loudly is that this fatigue is by no means a problem of your ability or willpower.

Rather, what if that fatigue is actually 'proof that a clever mechanism is functioning exactly as intended'? I think your perspective might change a little.

The quiet and clever attack called the 'Firehose of Falsehood'

The RAND Corporation in the United Statesnamed one of the modern methods of information manipulation 'Firehose of Falsehood'. It is a method of constantly bombarding people with a massive amount of false or contradictory information from every channel, just like water being sprayed forcefully from a thick fire hose.

The terror of this method lies in the fact that it does not try to maintain the meticulous consistency of propaganda from the past. It doesn't matter if it's contradictory. Rather, being able to spread it in large quantities and easily is prioritized.

What's even more troublesome is that the information is not composed solely of 'complete lies.' In the field of cybersecurity research, it has been pointed out that small lies and objective facts are intricately intertwined. Because fragments of truth are mixed in, it becomes difficult to distinguish what is a lie.

The real target is your 'vitality' itself

Here, there is something I want to convey most as a psychology professional. The purpose of this method is actually not to 'make you believe a specific lie.'

The real goal is to saturate the recipient's information processing capacity by bombarding them with massive amounts of information, driving them into a deep sense of fatigue and cynicism where they think, 'I don't know what to believe anymore.'

In psychology, there is a concept that if you continue to have experiences where your efforts do not change the results, you lose the very energy to act in the first place. I feel that the flood of information has a similar structure. The feeling of resignation—'It's no use thinking about it' or 'It's probably all a lie anyway'—is not a sign that you have become insensitive, but a sign that your heart is having a defensive reaction as a result of being continuously exposed to an amount of information that cannot be processed.

Three prescriptions to protect your heart

With an understanding of the mechanism so far, I would like to share three perspectives that I consider important for engaging with information without actually wearing down your heart.

The first is to have a bird's-eye view. Instead of being swayed by whether each piece of information in front of you is correct or incorrect, take a step back and look at it, thinking, 'Perhaps there is a structure here that is intentionally trying to spread confusion and cynicism.' Just having this perspective makes the feeling of being swallowed by information much easier.

The second is to cultivate the 'ability to endure uncertainty.' The poet John Keats called the ability to accept a situation as it is without rushing to conclusions in the face of unanswerable situations 'Negative Capability.' Try letting go of the feeling of 'I want to make it clear right now, whether it's white or black' just a little bit. If you think of this as a challenge to cultivate new mental muscle rather than patience, it should become easier to tackle.

The third is to intentionally create 'breathing room' between you and information. You don't need to keep accepting all information with all your might. Deciding on a few reliable sources and limiting the time you spend on information are small efforts that provide rest for your heart. Stopping the attempt to chase everything is not running away, but one of the wise strategies.

These three are all small habits that you can start today. I hope you will try them from where you can without thinking about them too difficultly.

I want you to never give up on your 'power to doubt'.

What those waging information warfare want most is for us to 'stop thinking.' That is precisely why the very act of continuing to question and trying to pause and think is already a significant form of resistance.

You don't need to feel pressured to see through everything. It is okay to leave things you don't understand as they are. Even so, from my perspective as a mental health professional, I strongly hope you will not let go of the desire to think for yourself.

Conclusion

Let me summarize the points I shared today once more.

Information fatigue is not because your will is weak, but because it may be caused by intentional mechanisms. The true goal of the 'firehose of falsehood' is not to make you believe lies, but to strip away your very energy to think. And finally, a bird's-eye perspective, the ability to endure uncertainty, and breathing with information are the three clues to protecting your mind.

Even if there are days when you feel like you are being swallowed by a wave of information, it is not because you are weak. Please do not blame yourself, and I would be happy if you could keep the perspectives I shared today as one of your mental amulets.

Thank you very much for staying with me until the end. I hope today's article serves as a catalyst for you to think about your steps from tomorrow onwards.

#LicensedPsychologist #CognitiveWarfare #FirehoseOfFalsehood #InformationLiteracy #MentalHealth