One of the seminal moments in the movie, THE MATRIX, is the scene where NEO leaves his computer generated reality and awakens within his pod. Emerging from his machine-induced slumber, his eyes absorb the mountain of humanity that exists all around him, each being kept alive by the Machines to be harvested of their electrical and heat energy. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about. If not, just play along.
With that scene firmly in your mind, now imagine each one of those humans in each one of those millions of pods holding a small flat device. Each one of these devices has a screen. And each human is scrolling through images and narratives on the screen that make them angry, make them worried, make them anxious, or make them fearful. The Machines, rather than electricity and heat, live off outrage, worry, and anxiety.
But here’s the kicker. In the scenario I have just laid out, no human is being forced to look at their device. Each one does so willingly, because each image and story is designed to generate small chemical hits in the brain which creates addiction, ensuring that the humans are willing accomplices to their own enslavement. Yikes.
Though we do not live in some dystopian future, the truth is that today there is an entire industry that is depends upon advertising revenue to sustain itself. This revenue is dependent upon eyeballs, and the primary way of measuring eyeballs is by quantifying “clicks” and “likes”. The more of these a platform can generate, the more it can charge advertisers. How do these media platforms ensure more “clicks”? By publishing content that is scientifically engineered to make us angry, worried, or insecure. Every time we consume this content more revenue goes to the advertiser’s pocket, which is then used to create more content which makes us outraged, and the cycle continues. We line media’s pockets while eroding our own contentment and mental health.
So how can we fight back against this real-life Matrix? The assumes, of course, that we even want to.
Be aware that you are being played. There are real people who use sophisticated techniques attempting to manipulate you into specific online behavior for their benefit and profit. Plan accordingly.
Don’t take the bait. Headlines on social media are designed to spark strong emotion, which in turn induce you to open an article. Do yourself a favor: Learn to recognize “clickbait” and don’t fall for the trap.
Consider an alternate news source. Social media is not a source for balanced news and analysis. While all sources are going to have some slant, there are publications that do a good job of playing it straight. I personally gravitate toward The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.
Understand that financial media is not your friend. It’s only purpose is to deliver eyeballs to its’ advertisers. The advertiser is the customer, not you. If they must appeal to fright, greed, or the fear of “missing out” to accomplish the mission, so be it.
We use a specific, deliberate process to help our clients inoculate themselves against the Matrix as it relates to their financial planning. We welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you. E-mail Jennifer Acosta (jacosta@intfingroup.com) or myself (ppeeler@intfingroup.com) to set up a convenient time to talk.