Dear friends.
I had an online chat with some friends the other evening.
We exchange thoughts about what we see in the papers.
Of what we hear on the news.
Our discussion led to a realization of the fact that we have power over the algorithms.
And how it is possible by our everyday online actions to turn these algorithms to good.
When you think about it.
We are not powerless when it comes to the question of what comes in on our phones and on our computer screens.
Every time we open some social media,
We are presented with a stream of information.
And more and more.
It appears that this incoming stream is the product of the algorithms.
Behind the scenes,
These complex algorithms record our online activities.
Or we watch.
Or we click on what catches our attention,
Encouraging us to stop and read.
The algorithms pick up what we share.
What we comment on.
Our reactions,
Our likes,
Our dislikes.
All of this feeds the algorithms.
In time,
The system builds up a picture of what is and what is not likely to grab our attention.
The social media programs are designed in this way.
They harness our attention and the advertising revenue that arises from it.
It follows from this that our online behavior helps to attract the information that comes back to us.
We are fed what we are interested in.
If our attention is captured by things which make us angry,
We will find ourselves exposed to more of these things.
But the opposite must logically be the case.
It stands to reason.
And that raises an intriguing possibility.
It means that we can each play a part.
In training the algorithms for positivity.
In what they present to us.
We can send out positive ripples by every click,
By our attention patterns,
By our likes and by our sharing of positive information.
What we do today or tomorrow will not change the internet overnight.
But the ripples that we send out will inspire others to do the same.
This can encourage more and still more people to do it.
And if enough of us respond to this idea.
These more positive messages can spread right across the world.
All of us can play our part by influencing the digital world that we create around us.
Let's consider for a moment what captures our attention.
The big headlines.
Conflict and war,
Greed and meanness,
Fear of the stranger and fear of diversity,
Political point scoring,
These are all very good at calling out for our attention.
And this is not necessarily because we are fascinated by bad news.
Very often we are watching,
Following a story.
And hoping to see light at the end of a dark tunnel.
But care is required if we are not to fall into an ever-deepening spiral of darkness.
If something makes us angry,
Frightened or shocked.
We are tempted to click on it.
And if lots of people click on it,
The algorithm takes up the pattern.
The program responds.
People are interested in this.
Show them more.
And so we get more of the same.
We click again and the downward cycle continues.
We can find ourselves caught up in this inundation of bad news.
Feeling that everyone is angry,
Fearful or dissatisfied.
Maybe all three.
The impression is given that society is becoming more divided.
That countries are becoming more isolated and unwilling to open their borders to strangers.
We hear terms such as Fortress Europe and Fortress USA.
There is no doubt that there is much wrong with our world.
And many things which need to be put right.
But this inundation of bad news is grabbing our attention.
The problems of the world are magnified.
To the point of disheartenment.
And we can be left with a feeling of powerlessness.
I'm glad to tell you there is another possibility.
Linda Ulrich and her book.
Happiness is an option.
Uses the expression,
The conspiracy of goodness.
She refers to the many good things happening around us.
Things that don't receive attention,
Anything like the attention that's given to bad news.
Just think of all that happens every day behind the scenes.
People caring for relatives.
Neighbors helping neighbors.
Volunteers giving their time to the community.
Teachers encouraging children in their formative years.
Scientists discovering wonderful ways of improving the lot of humanity.
There are doctors and nurses caring for patients,
Sometimes in what look to be impossible conditions.
All over the world we see strangers demonstrating our shared humanity by coming to the rescue of people they've never met.
And in the bleakest of times.
People are creating music,
Art and literature.
Just think of Vedran Smilovic.
The cellist of Sarajevo.
And we recall all the day-to-day gestures of kindness that make an everyday difference to people.
We see that goodness is all around us.
It's so ordinary,
So commonplace,
That we don't often notice it.
So normal that we take it for granted.
And maybe that's a good thing.
It's the bad news and the sensational news that hits the headlines.
And yet in the bleakest of times,
There is so much good going on.
So can we change our feed?
What we receive on our phones and on our screens.
Yes,
We can.
We know the algorithm is learning from us.
It records what we click on and what we watch.
So as an idea to try out.
Why don't we each conduct an experiment?
For one week.
Let's deliberately give the algorithm some different signals.
When something appears that is designed to provoke anger,
Let's decide not to click.
When we notice a story designed to make us anxious,
Let's decide to scroll on.
Let us deliberately look out for something inspiring,
Something hopeful.
And when we see something positive like this,
Let's stop.
Take time to read it,
To watch it.
Maybe decide to follow the person or the organisation responsible for that good news.
And while we are at it,
Why not share this positivity.
In this way,
We can each reprogram the algorithms.
We stop rewarding and attracting the things we're unhappy with.
Instead,
We encourage everything that we find to be good.
Now this doesn't mean that we ignore reality.
We don't stick our heads in the sand.
There is so much in the world that needs attention and improvement.
Much that needs our attention and our action.
So it's not a case of saying,
Pay no heed,
Everything is fine.
Many things are far from fine.
But we don't need to give every piece of bad news our attention.
And it must help if we make more room for the inspiring news that is worth sharing.
So try it out and see what happens.
For the next 7 days.
Pay attention to your digital diet.
And remember,
This is just an experiment.
Each day,
Notice one or two or three things that make you angry or anxious.
Things that you can do nothing about.
And before clicking,
Ask,
Do I really need to give this my attention?
Then look deliberately for something constructive.
Maybe a scientific discovery.
A story about people solving a problem,
An example of kindness.
Someone stepping forward and doing something really worthwhile.
When you find it,
Give it your attention.
Read it.
Watcher.
And then notice what happens over the course of the week.
Are the algorithms being affected by your new choices?
Does your news feed begin to change?
Do you start noticing more positive things?
See how you feel about your online interactions after the week.
Now there's an even more interesting aspect that these actions bring to mind.
What is happening in the online world.
Is only a superscale magnification of what's happening within our own minds.
What we repeatedly look at affects what we think about.
What we repeatedly think about affects what we notice.
And what we notice affects the way we experience the world.
If we spend every morning reading about things that make us angry,
We may expect to carry that anger into the rest of the day.
If we repeatedly encounter stories telling us that people are selfish.
We may begin to expect and notice selfishness.
We all have experiences of this.
You know what happens when we get out the wrong side of the bed in the morning.
The vibes we send out come back to us.
But if we regularly notice kindness.
If we celebrate beauty,
If we encourage cooperation.
We will more likely notice these things in everyday life.
Goodness is all around us.
It's just waiting to be noticed.
So there is a kind of feedback loop in operation.
If we allow ourselves to pay attention to bad news,
We'll be more likely to see more of it,
Because we're looking out for it.
In fact,
What we believe about the world.
Influences how we behave in it,
For good or ill.
So a final touch.
Is there one small change I could make today?
Perhaps unfollowing something that constantly leaves me angry.
Maybe following something that expands my mind,
Teaches me something new.
Searching for constructive news.
And perhaps spending less time mindlessly scrolling.
You know how that can happen.
I believe we have a lot more influence than we imagine.
We cannot change the whole internet on our own.
That stands to reason.
But we can change the small corner of the internet that comes looking for us through the algorithms.
And we can encourage everyone we know to do the same.
Remembering that the bad and the sensational is not the whole story.
The remedy and the challenge is to notice more of the good that is already there.
Namaste.
