Understanding narrative flaws rather than systematically talking about misinformation
The word "disinformation" has become a catch-all. It refers to manipulation, ignorance, conspiracy, or simply misunderstanding. By brandishing it, we often think we're naming the problem, when in fact we're only distancing ourselves from it...
To speak only of misinformation is often to treat the effect without daring to go to the causes. What circulates is not always false. What influences is not always manipulated. What confuses is not always illogical.
When the story goes off the rails, it's possible that there wasn't a clear narrative in front of it.
What we call "disinformation" is very often the result of a narrative void: a blur, an absence, a loophole.
When an organization, an institution or even a community fails to clarify its presence, its intentions and its movements, other narratives take over. Sometimes, they become entrenched. An alternative narrative doesn't need to be true or coherent. All it needs is a simple explanation for a vague feeling.
Something to think about:
(Applies to organizations or public figures)
- What place do we leave for "default" stories?
- Have we allowed our silences to become interpretable?
- Who fills the absences we don't fill ourselves?
Crises of meaning are often born out of a forgotten bond
Rather than designating misinformation as a virus to be eradicated, we could consider it as a relational symptom. A sign that the link has been broken, that words no longer flow with clarity or confidence.
What biased or misleading speeches know how to do:
- Speaking to emotion before reason.
- Creating a sense of belonging.
- Naming what others avoid saying.
That's where we need to act. Not in reaction, but in rebuilding the link.
Something to think about:
(Applies to organizations or public figures)
- What emotions do our speeches really address?
- Are we speaking from a real connection, or from a defensive posture?
- Does what we say create recognition or distance?
Further information
It's not the false that triumphs over the true. It's the emotional echo that overcomes the rational argument. Behind every story that deviates, there's an abandoned space. A relationship to reweave. A listening ear to be re-established. A position to be redefined.
Rectifa helps you look in the right place: where the link can be restored before the fog sets in.