In an alternate universe on an alternate earth, we have a nation, or a culture, who with the advent of modern communication technologies has an insatiable thirst for information, be it current events, sports, politics, and whatever else.
Most humans have been implanted with devices to facilitate a news feed directly into their mind. Think of it as closing your eyes and seeing the feed from your smart phone.
Brain wise this does not function differently than reading the info would normally except that the information can be processed faster. So it’s not as if your brain is being injected with unwanted information it’s just a new delivery method and there is far more information available than any one human could ever hope to process.
The only major variance in the types of information that can be provided is a sort of first person video feed, while not a live stream this medium comes with the ability to record the emotions elicited in the person that viewed whatever is being shared.
This evolution has driven reporters and other agents of information sharing to the breaking point when it comes to being able to give stories the proper amount of review and attention. When consumers are consuming knowledge at the speed of thought, being the first to get the information out (and thus pull in ad revenue) is crucial.
Even more challenging, the technology allows anyone to share information with large audiences in real time though there are no filters/validation steps included, just raw information as the person perceives it or it could just as well be a blatant lie.
This information, depending on the content, often makes such waves that formal news agencies are forced to address them as well.
Complicating the situation further is that the average consumer in this interconnected universe is so inundated with incoming information that rarely are they able to compare the initial source and context of the information to follow up information … that story is so 4 hours ago
- How do you ensure accuracy of information in such a world. to clarify, by accurate I mean that a given story/scenario is properly framed. Clearly 100% accuracy is impossible but the problem I am attempting to fix is the idea that there is condemnation and rushes to evaluate before a story is truly told.
- How do you avoid mob mentality when information (be it true or false/true-ish) can be shared peer to peer
- How do you protect public figures from a constant barrage of falsehoods and misinformation
Additional notes these may help you frame your answer.
The nation in question is generally free and democratic and any attempt to reduce that freedom would be opposed by the public, and would reduce to a certain extent the usefulness of an answer. The aim is to fix the problem without significantly curtailing freedoms. That being said if it cannot be fixed but by totalitarian measures that would still be a legit answer.
The nature of the addiction is not chemical/physical as it would be with a drug, beyond that the nature of the addiction is nebulous and you may modify it to fit your answer.