Thinking about how narratives build and collapse this morning. Not sure I can articulate it well, but roughly:
- Someone has an idea and shares it; no one notices.
- A few news stories pop up around that idea; it becomes the narrative.
- Future news that is even remotely related to that idea is judged as confirming the narrative; it is accepted as obvious truth that everyone just knows.
Mostly fine so far. But here’s where it breaks down:
- Something significant changes; no one notices.
- The narrative has become a caricature of the original idea; it's barely true anymore.
- Everyone carries on as if nothing has changed; sometimes they even fight new ideas that reflect the changed world.
What happens next is probably wildly different depending on the narrative. I don’t have a specific example to share here. I’ve just seen it play out like this multiple times.
Sometimes narratives slowly fade. Sometimes they shatter. In either case, the hardest part is noticing.
