The classic 2003 children’s movie, Finding Nemo, shares several important lessons. Among them are working through anxiety, overcoming fear, gaining confidence, and learning to trust. These same themes envelop emergency managers and crisis communicators when we seek to find truth. Unfortunately, finding truth is a real-world adult challenge. And it is not always easy. In Finding Nemo, Marlin had to bravely traverse the deep-sea trench in order to face his problems. Finding truth in a crisis is just as ominous and yet more multi-layered.
Finding truth in a crisis requires exploration through a minefield of misinformation, disinformation, social media platforms, algorithms, propaganda, group think, the Abilene Paradox, and an unhealthy dose of cognitive dissonance. And it is a two-step process for each. Step one is to understand the dynamic; step two is figuring out how to overcome it, push through it, find truth.
Misinformation | Disinformation
This has been covered ad nauseum for a few years and yet we don’t seem to be making traction. My friend Ed Conley and I wrote about this in a HSToday column in October 2024, called Confronting Misinformation During Disasters. Many have identified the problem, but we tried to offer strategies to combat them, to include anticipation, monitoring protocols, rapid response, collaboration, confrontation and leveraging credible sources. I stand behind these, but in the almost year since then, it is clear that misinformation/disinformation have become only a few of the hurdles we need to overcome in order to swim past the trenches of dishonesty.
Social Media Platforms
Marshall Mcluhan once coined a phrase explaining that the medium is the message. This essentially means that the medium (the technology or platform used to deliver information) has a greater impact on society and individuals than the specific content it carries. Whether we follow LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Truth Social, Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat implies a great deal about how we consume information, and often how we interpret it. It is a safe bet the Truth Social and X have a more conservative following and content, while Bluesky is more liberal.
Even when the ideology is not the driving force, the medium can still influence us and we need to monitor the changing tides. Less than two years ago LinkedIn was more focused on job searches, industry updates, and professional dialogue. Today, it has become more of a battleground for debate, derision, and divisiveness. As we leverage these social media platforms, we need to be cognizant of these changes and conscious about how we perceive them and address them. The evolution (or devolution) of these platforms creates another barrier to truth.
There are a few options here. Consume them all or none at all is one approach. Verify every citation with source documents is another. If we live on X, switch to Bluesky for a week and vice versa. And challenge others to do the same.
Algorithms
An algorithm is a set of defined steps designed to perform a specific objective. In social media, an algorithm is a set of rules and instructions that determine what content users see and in what order. To be fair, it can be helpful – once you start looking at Jeeps online, more information about Jeeps continue to pop up in your feed, potentially helping you make a more informed decision based on a higher quantity of information. But we must remember that algorithms always have an objective, often to create and mature a bias.
Algorithm bias can manifest in a variety of ways, such as the promotion of certain types of content over others or the amplification of certain voices while silencing others. This can have serious implications for social media users, as it can amplify societal biases. If we hear over and over again, from our chosen social media, that a school shooting is a hoax or that we should not trust emergency managers who advise us, then we are bound to fall into the rabbit hole, whether it is true or not. And the more we click on it, the greater the obstruction between us and truth.
Here again, we have options. Log in to someone else’s account with their permission. Search for flowers, then education, and then government spending. Depending on that person and the medium you use, you will likely see completely different algorithm responses, whether the topic is mundane or controversial. We can also clear our cache, reset our computers, begin a new social media account from a different email address and/or begin following contrary social media to get a more balanced perspective. We can also employ distinctly different searches in our work and personal profiles.
Propaganda
I know that there are people who are triggered by this word. They feel it is hyperbole. Earlier this year I wrote a column on this called, Propaganda Begins with a Prefix. In that column I shared the definition as, “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view; the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person; ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.” The definition is a mouthful, but it is not hyperbole. Both sides are guilty of this. And it hurts emergency management, it heightens the danger in a crisis, and it can cost lives. It is real and it is lethal, Propaganda does not just hinder truth; it obliterates truth.
We are not powerless, but we have to make a conscious choice to acknowledge it exists and make strategic decisions to overcome it. The recurring theme here is to consume a wide variety of media and mediums. More than that, when possible, avoid the mouthpieces and go straight to the source or source document. We must make a conscience choice to pursue truth over confirmation bias.
Groupthink
And we are not even done yet. Groupthink happens when individuals in like-minded groups fail to consider alternative perspectives because they are more focused on consensus than possibly making less-than-desirable decisions. For example, group members may ignore or discount information that is inconsistent with their chosen decision and express strong disapproval against any group member who might disagree. There can be several traits and characteristics at play, to include lack of diversity, overpowering leadership, time constraints, stress, and a sense of self-esteem that comes with being a member of the group.
The only way to overcome this handicap is to step outside of the group, at least when necessary. It takes courage. We can also challenge others about group think. That takes courage as well.
The Abilene Paradox
I encourage you to set aside four minutes at some point to watch a video that teaches the Abilene Paradox. On a tangential note, I will share that this video, which I first watched more than forty years ago, has saved me countless times in both personal and professional situations. We have all been guilty of this one. The Abilene Paradox occurs when everyone agrees to something nobody wants. Yep. Happens all the time. And this is another obstruction to truth, the omission, that we have all experienced.
I used to respond with what I thought my wife or my boss wanted to hear. The video taught me to simply tell the truth. This may be the easiest bridge to cross and the one where we have the most control.
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort we experience when we have conflicting beliefs at the same time. To resolve this pressure, we tend to justify or ignore the conflicting information. A simple example would be a smoker or heavy drinker knowing it is harmful to their health but rationalize it because it is an essential habit to combat their stress.
To overcome cognitive dissonance we must be willing to either change our behavior and/or our beliefs. People do this every day. Other people fail to do this every day.
Conclusion
I know all of these shackles combined can feel overwhelming. And this not even a comprehensive list of all the chains and manacles that keep us from the truth.
But there is hope. All of the solutions have a few factors in common. We can embrace different sources, mediums, and media. We can choose to keep an open mind. We can build the courage to change. Emergency managers can empower and entrust their crisis communicators to develop strategies to overcome.
In order for us to find truth, we first have to look for it. We need to put truth on a pedestal and treat it with the honor and dignity it deserves. Lives depend on it. We can do it.
Finding Nemo ended with Marlin actually finding Nemo.
Finding truth must only end with us actually finding truth.
Dan Stoneking is the Owner and Principal of Stoneking Strategic Communications, the Author of Cultivate Your Garden: Crisis Communications from 30,000 Feet to Three Feet, the Founder and Vice President of the Emergency Management External Affairs Association, and an Adjunct Professor in the Communications Department at West Chester University.