Hope, Fear and Freedom

So I’ve just finished watching the second part of Channel 4’s expose of Cambridge Analytica on this evening’s 7 o’clock news. If you missed it, watch it on catch up. If you missed last night’s broadcast, then watch that on catch up too. It’s been enthralling, unsettling, terrifying and exciting all at the same time.

It was enthralling to watch the story as it developed, watching spin and counter spin unfold as various agencies tried to shore up their personal positions, by aligning themselves to, or distancing themselves from the various components of the story.

It was unsettling to think of where my social media digital fingerprint may have ended up (particularly given the fact that I recently clicked the button on Facebook which offered to reveal what I would look like as a woman on the front cover a glamour magazine…OK, it was a quiet night on TV that evening). 

It was terrifying to hear my own beliefs that ‘data and insight are a force for good’, being replayed antithetically, using exactly the same words: I was running a training course for a large financial services organisation recently. Part of the course was around ‘change management’. There’s a whole industry of expensive complexity built up around change management, but I have always tried to keep it simple: 

My standard line is “People change for one of two reasons: Hope of pleasure or fear of pain.” I always pause for effect when I say this, basking in the satisfaction of seeing people nod their heads and scribble my pearls of wisdom into their workbooks. Never again. Hearing the Chief Executive of Cambridge Analytica, Mark Turnbull echoing me by saying “The two fundamental human drivers when it comes to taking information onboard effectively are hopes and fears, and many of those are unspoken or even unconscious. It is our job to drop the bucket further down the well than anybody else, to understand what are those really deep-seated, underlying fears, concerns.” It sent a shiver down my spine.

Einstein said “Any fool can know, the point is to understand”. Cambridge Analytica certainly understands. I thought I did too until this evening, but I’ve had cause to re-evaluate everything.

Two of my most respected friends have been using my Facebook wall to share their wisdom and insight today. It’s been fascinating not only to observe their exchange (I don’t believe they’ve ever met or communicated with each other before), but also to see the speed with which they started to attack one another. I trust both of these friends implicitly. I trust their intent, integrity, skills and experience; they tick all my boxes in terms of ‘the four pillars of Trust’, but their beliefs differ. I’ve been ‘unfriended’ by many people who have advised me that it’s not a good idea to discuss politics or religion on social media, but I’m not alone in succumbing to the temptation. The reason for this is because it is easier to validate my beliefs online than anywhere else.

When we believe anything, it is our human nature to seek validation for those beliefs. These validations (or otherwise) become our cognitive biases – the filters through which we view the world. 

There are reportedly 184 cognitive biases; 108 of which are biases based upon our beliefs. These include the commonplace ones such as 'confirmation bias' (the tendency to search for, interpret, focus on and remember information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions) and 'attentional bias' (the tendency of our perception to be affected by our recurring thoughts), but also more obscure ones such as 'the IKEA effect' (Yes the IKEA effect is a thing - It's the tendency for people to place a disproportionately high value on objects that they partially assembled themselves, such as furniture from IKEA, regardless of the quality of the end result). I was trawling this delightful image below when it suddenly dawned on me that ‘beliefs’ are the root of all conflict in the world, both internal and external.

People believe they are right. Brexiteers believe they are right; so do their opponents. The National Rifle Association believe they are right; so do their opponents. Corbynistas believe they are right; so do their opponents. Even ISIS believes they are right; so do their opponents.

In a world where there is too much information, my unspoken, unconscious fear is that knowledge is too big an ask, and that belief is the best we can hope for.

And then the penny dropped. I said earlier that the Channel 4 piece was enthralling, unsettling, terrifying and exciting. The exciting bit was provided by Tim Berners-Lee. He gave me hope. He reminded me that the intent behind the creation of the internet was good. Jon Snow alluded to Pandorra’s box, the gift which, according to Greek mythology, Zeus gave to the world’s first woman, who’s curiosity unleashed all misfortunes on the world. (What an amazingly appropriate analogy.) Tim charmingly painted the picture of ‘getting toothpaste back into the tube’, even providing a lovely example of how it could be done. He spoke with humility, humanity and humour – which made me remember that behind all our beliefs and biases lie our values. Tim Berners-Lee's values are an intrinsic part of the World Wide Web. In a world where Jeff Bezos of Amazon, is the richest man in the world, it's worth remembering that Tim Berners-Lee gave the internet to society with no strings attached. Our values are what give our lives meaning, not our beliefs. It is through knowing and understanding our values, and through living a life that is congruent with those values that we can achieve freedom (I hope).

This great video excerpt from Richard Barrett, the founder of the Values Centre (www.valuescentre.com) sheds light on the difference between belief-based decision-making and values-based decision making. 

If you want to understand more about your values and those of the people around you, start here...