Think about stories. We have them and tell them, all of us. That has been true since the time of Stone Age Man. He tried to explain the world, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Add the plants, animals, and seasons, as well as how to make the best tools, and survive. 

If someone else had a better or more entertaining account of his circumstances, perhaps the first tale would have been altered or forgotten.

The stories that bound small groups together had an advantage over other, more disparate groups of Homo sapiens. The accounts of how to endure and prosper were useful. 

These ideas kept people secure, instructed them in the refinement of weapons, and more. It explained how and when to plant vegetables, communicated strategies for difficult times, and enabled teamwork in self-defense.

Groups that shared the same story prospered and got larger over time. They were made up of people who identified with each other, in part because they shared the same stories, practices, and beliefs. Yuval Harari,* the author of Nexus, provides a more extended view of the role of narratives that cemented various tribes to one another.

What does this have to do with misinformation?

Stories don’t have to be true. A leader who might offer incomplete or flawed knowledge, in some cases could be persuasive in leading followers and making beneficial decisions about peace and war. Tales about the leader’s strengths, the magnetism of his voice and appearance, and his benevolent nature might create a halo effect of confidence in his talents.

Think of how young ones believe in Santa Claus or Superman. Some stories win over adherents, in part, because parents, educators, or clergy encourage belief in them from an early age.

Adults find religious stories compelling for several reasons. Many explain how the world works, provide meaning, describe how best to live, promise a reward after death, and offer a like-minded community. Religions have both benefited mankind and done harm.

Ancient wisdom should not be dismissed with ease, no matter a sceptic’s perspective. Again, stories don’t have to be verifiable to persuade and benefit much of mankind, but sometimes set them against unbelievers, both spiritual and political.

Religion and faith have also enabled communities of worshipers to survive. Faith-based conviction has fueled the inspirational words and actions of leaders like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Attractive and fluent influencers, as well as TV ads, promote alleged excellent products and themselves via brief stories. These performers often suggest that those who do as they do can become more like them. Direct or implied messages cause some of their viewers to model their decisions on what to wear and what to value.

A common phrase descriptive of free trumpeting of products goes, “If the product is free, you are the product.” You pay with loss of privacy, the capture of your attention, becoming the unaware object of persuasion, and perhaps losing your free will.

Humans are vulnerable. With some frequency, they buy into the merchandise promoted and sometimes the promise of little more than hope and a chance to fulfill their desires. 

Goods featured in commercials are touted by everyday folks who claim miraculous transformations. They tell of prior unhappiness. Not just physical distress, but a lack of confidence, sleep, and relationships. With this background, they indicate their lives have been transformed by the wondrous cosmetic, machine, or supplement being sold.

Algorithms determine what captures our attention, including those presenters, products, games, and politicians we find compelling. Recall Michael Jordan, a charismatic basketball star, who is associated with Air Jordan footwear, clothing, and the commercial slogan “Be like Mike.”

Yuval Harari emphasizes that fiction, inclusive of conspiracy theories, has two advantages over truth.

First, fiction can be made as simple as we like, whereas the truth tends to be complicated, because the reality it is supposed to represent is complicated.

Second, the truth is often painful and disturbing, and if we try to make it more comforting and flattering, it will no longer be the truth.

One example is trying to change the minds of those who believe man-made climate change is fake news. Persuasion might require a detailed explanation and a discussion of research methods and findings, which may be beyond the typical listener’s ability to follow. Such a presentation also risks humiliating the subject, returning him to the days of boring lectures by a know-it-all instructor.

There is more. In our troubled and untrusting world, many are not open to information that unsettles their well-being. They may look away due to the stress of the truth of what is happening.

A person’s worldview is often attached to other beliefs that would be undercut by changing such an opinion. It can be easier to believe in untruths and keep on the right side of one’s social circle. 

Painful knowledge that frays or ends relationships with friends and relatives, and loses the benefit of belonging, comes at a high cost. A hoax can be comforting on multiple levels.

The planet is a complicated place these days, but it offers rewards that require recognition of what is happening in it. The birds still sing, the sun still shines, and children still delight in an ice cream cone on a hot day. May they flourish.

We are the caretakers and defenders of such moments, and what astronomer Carl Sagan referred to as a “pale blue dot.”

Earth and all its living things.

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All of the photos are the work of Laura Hedien, presented with her kind permission: Laura Hedien Official Website.

In order from the top, they include Elephant at Sunset in Amboseli, Kenya, Early November 2024. Next is a Supercell in Lubbock, Texas, in June 2025. Finally, Texas Sunset with Sunflare in June 2023.

*Here is the link to Yuval Harari’s Nexus, which served as a foundation for this essay.