The Art of Changing Humanity

What started as harmless algorithms serving us more cute animal videos based on our historic consumption of media; has evolved into echo-chambers for ideology. We are no longer challenged by opposite views. Instead, we are dumbed down by what we like, not what would enrich our understanding of the world. Worryingly, the more our point of view is reiterated, the more likely we believe we are right – pushing our position even deeper.

For as long as humans have been around, our fate has been sealed as we are born. Societies segregate us into groups from the moment we take our first breath, which may lead us to interact mostly with a single race, religion, political and social class… As we grow, we’ll seek the comforts of groups and environments we relate to, which cement our views of the world.

The digital world has sped up this polarization, leading to an extreme change in our politics, racial tension and sprouting a worrying lack of critical thinking. Social media facilitated the Egyptian revolution in 2011, and there’s no reason it couldn’t end up doing the same across the West.

But how, in this current climate. can we re-balance society?

Getting people to lean in is the first step; challenging people’s views of the world is next.

If you want people to change you must make it personal – and nothing is more personal than empathy. Empathy allows our brains to physically mirror the emotions of others. This ability to temporarily fall into someone else’s mind changes us at a deep unconscious level (want to know more? Check out Peter Bazalgette’s “Empathy Instinct”.

A photograph of the horrors of war (what if that was my kid?), or a pile of shoes for every refugee drowned on their journey from Syria to Europe (these could be my shoes), will move us more than any news broadcast. The inclusion of balanced characters in film (Moonlight) of a different race or sexual orientation goes a long way to challenging deep-seated stereotypes. These, in turn, open the door to more mainstream Hollywood productions that create “moments of positivity people often not the centerpiece of society” (Black Panther) and highlight their value in our society.

These few examples scratch the surface of how creativity has changed society. The arts are our strongest tool in generating empathy. These have been used with great skill in making societal changes, often starting on the fringes as an act of rebellion they can echo their way into the mainstream consciousness.

Changing society is slow work. We may feel radical change happens overnight, but these changes are only made possible by thousands upon thousands of micro changes which erode our societies perception, eventually leading to them collapsing.

Buckle up, don’t give up, lead by example and remember – we have a lot more in common than separates us.