Thread by @stevesi

Narratives by @stratechery @benthompson looks at (reflects on) role of narratives in why there are big misses. IMO this is much larger issue than looking at extremes of FTX/Twitter. Narratives have come to replace reporting, analysis, and even facts. 1/ stratechery.com/2022/narrative…

2/ Narratives don't just happen in extremes. Though with extremes everyone is willing to "rethink" what they previously said/asserted/observed/shared. Narratives happen every single day in what we read, what we say/share, what we believe.

3/ Narratives used to be called zeitgeist, then conventional wisdom, then "Tired v Wired." Those sharing narratives used to be called intelligencia, thought leaders, or TED speakers.

Narratives can be a great way to learn or to teach, but they have to be based on a foundation.

4/ Too many narratives start with an assertion, meme, or simply an idealogical belief. Then there's a snowballing that seems to turn what was a "thought" into a "thesis" and then "narrative" that _everyone_ knows to be true.

5/ That process does not usually rely on research in a traditional sense. It does not rely on extensive fact gathering or exploring alternatives. Most is put out there under the guise of "reporting" or "analysis" in *real time* often based one perspective of a complex event.

6/ Even the purveyor's of narratives are so caught up in the moment that simple things like "rule of 3" can turn into narratives. If something happens 3 times then it is more than a story but now a new rule. That kind of thing used to be reserved for the Lifestyle pages.

7/ There's nothing partisan or even political in this. There's nothing specific to one ideology or another. This is a core problem with how we think about/share current times and act on information.

There's real pressure to "create" or "recast" narratives.

8/ Most people establishing, communicating, participating in narratives do not have to decide what to do with real resources of time, money, people. But the availability of narratives and the lack of boundaries between inside/outside mean narratives carry outsize influence.

9/ That is where the problem seems to be. It isn't just that narratives are lazy reporting, analysis, or sharing but they have real impact that can further amplify the very narrative that is not based on a foundation of fact.

10/ @JamesFallows in a piece called for an introspection of political journalism because the political writing class got it so wrong with the US election last week. YES please. BUT… fallows.substack.com/p/the-politica…

11/ All they were doing was following a narrative. "Past incumbents are big losers" and "Biden is weak". There were no facts for today's situation only a past narrative.

But I don't see how this is limited to politics. Look at "Big Tech" or any other "polarizing" topic.

12/ Two things though. First, this is not about "both sides" or "benefit of the doubt." This is facts v. patterns v. assertions. If there aren't facts then there shouldn't be a narrative (good, bad, old, new). Analysis that pattern matches might be worthwhile. Repeats v. rhymes?

13/ Second, this is not about "don't write" or "don't analyze" but it is about being cognizant that most everything that you read, write, share on realtime events doesn't have to be a narrative. It can be "this is happening" added to collective facts to be sorted/considered.

14/ Why something is happening, how it fits in a big picture, and so on almost always better offered after some time has passed.

I recognize we want to know the end, a solution, or a reason. That isn't how events work. Like that TikTok sound "Now can we skip to the good part."

15/ Because of the power of narratives and the internet, it turns out everyone in every role is out there creating/counter-creating narratives (personal brand, influencers, company brand, product narratives, etc.)

This isn't new but it is now very widespread.

16/ So even if you don't think this is about your own actions, we're all responsible in one way or another when it comes to this narrative-based world. We can all think twice about how we craft what we say, amplify what we read, use what is said. // END