The argument in brief
- The question
- What responsibilities come with the influence we hold, and how can we tell when we are being influenced ourselves?
- The claim
- Our minds are easily influenced by others, and there will always be people of influence. Recognising that, and staying open to facts we don't want to hear, matters as much as influential people recognising their responsibility. Confidence: A personal reflection from my own experience. No studies are cited.
- The evidence
- A point Michael Stevens of Vsauce made in an interview with Lex Fridman, as I heard it in a clip I watched in January 2023, which is no longer online.
- My own experience that my outrage often softens into a more balanced view once I look into the facts.
- No studies on persuasion, framing or social media influence.
- The best counter
- Being too ready to doubt my first impression can also mislead me: some things deserve outrage, and treating every view as a product of influence can become an excuse never to hold one.
- What would change my mind
- Evidence that people's views on a subject depend little on how they first heard about it, or that people who believe they are easily influenced are no better at resisting manipulation.
The question: What responsibilities come with the influence we hold, and how can we tell when we are being influenced ourselves?As I unwind and see where the algorithm of YouTube takes me, I come across a video where Lex Fridman is interviewing Michael Stevens from the popular science YouTube channel, Vsauce.Source: The episode page, which confirms the interview. It doesn’t include a transcript, so it doesn’t show the specific point I describe below.Michael Stevens: Vsauce | Lex Fridman Podcast, Lex Fridman, 2019-12-17
About the clip: This is what Michael says in the clip I watched when I wrote this in January 2023. That clip is no longer on YouTube, so I can’t link to it now.In the video Michael is talking about the importance you have over your fanbase and the gravity of the influence you hold. What jumps out is how he explains that Vsauce is the collective audience, not him, and that he is plugging into it, just like everyone else who is watching.
The weight of an audience
We live in times where a few people grow to popularity and start to have a fanbase. But what is rarely prepared for is the psychological weight of having that responsibility. If a person of influence doesn’t recognise they hold that responsibility, then it can become an unchecked balance in the social ecosystem. Words they say can be triggering, sometimes unleashing chaos to someone else.
The question I like to ask myself is what responsibilities do I hold in the position I have. That may be more obvious with my connection to thousands of people through YouTube and the community I’m building. But in a more subtle sense, it may be the position I hold as a colleague, as a friend and as a parent.
Being on the other side
I also like to ask the question, “what is it like to be someone who is influenced by others?” Or more specifically, “how can I become aware of when I’m being influenced in a negative way?”
An assumption: I’m assuming influence mostly flows from a few prominent voices outward. Much of it may come sideways instead, from friends, family and the people we see every day.These are questions that don’t get explored enough. Social media has created great influence in how we perceive the world. The traditional media pays attention to social media. The influencers use social media to reach a lot of people. What is protecting us from manipulation?
My mind is easily tricked
A competing explanation: Doubting my first reaction can mislead me too. Some things deserve outrage, and treating every view as the product of influence can become an excuse never to hold one.Personally, I believe that my mind is easily tricked. How I think about a subject can be down to how I was influenced in first hearing about it. Often, when I’m “outraged”, I see things more balanced when I look into the facts. Knowing that my opinion is easily influenced is a vital trait.
The ah-ha moment
What would change my mind?: Evidence that our views depend little on how we first heard about something, or that people who believe they are easily influenced are no better at resisting manipulation.So I’ll conclude with a simple ah-ha moment. Claim, confidence:a personal view from my own experience; I cite no studies: Our minds are easily influenced by others. There will always be those who are people of influence. Recognise that this is possible, and stay open-minded about the facts not being what we want to hear.
Sources
- Michael Stevens: Vsauce | Lex Fridman Podcast, Lex Fridman, 2019-12-17
Books behind this essay
Not sources for any claim here. These are books I have finished that shaped how I think about this question. Where I rely on evidence, it is cited in the text.
Influence (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Shaped how I think about how easily persuasion works on me without my noticing.
The Scout Mindset (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Shaped how I think about wanting to see things as they are, even when the facts are not what I want to hear.
Liminal Thinking (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Shaped how I think about how my beliefs form from what I first happened to notice and hear.
