Larry D. Lauer

As the political campaign enters the next stage the “media  consequence” question for us now is how many of the lies, attacks, and outrageous remarks we endured in the past will we remember as the candidates very likely will begin to sound more reasonable?

In previous posts I have discussed how ‘lies begin to sound true” and “imploding information produces confusion” in this new media world. Consumers are left having no idea what to believe. Now, as we move ahead we must add still another troubling media consequence: extremely short memories!

Political candidates, institutional critics, and social cause advocates have learned that they can get attention, receive ongoing news coverage, and attract large audiences just by making outrageous statements that include elements of conflict and light  entertainment. Then, once celebrity status is established these same people can change their tone, sound more reasonable, and gradually put distressed people more at ease. The consequence is that we can never be exactly sure of what we are getting in a leader… be it in governments, institutions, or causes. This memory loss and leadership uncertainty stage is what we are entering now in the current political campaign.

Only a society that can fact-check for truthfulness, strong  character and integrity early in the process will be able to trust the people they elect. The problem is that we have not yet learned how to do this in this age of ongoing media revolutions.