There is a sense of peace or satisfaction that can come through having searched for the truth about a topic or situation and being confident that you have found it. Once you have done that, continue holding on to the truth you have found, and building upon it by continually searching for truthful information to contribute and support your knowledge of the topic. However, the truthful knowledge can be just as easily lost as it was found, if you do not hold on to it through belief but turn when the next persuasion attempt or piece of false evidence comes along. So, don’t stop searching for truth to continually build upon what you have already found, but also don’t lose the truth you have already found by allowing it to be easily or wrongfully discredited by others.

To hold on to the ground you have gained, don’t doubt what you have already found through searching for truth, while continuing to add to it. When new information comes along, you can always add it to what you already know, while still believing the truth that you have already found and confirmed. Every now and then something will come along that can refute what you found out previously but be cautious to make sure that it is a solid source of original data or evidence rather than being influenced away from the truth you have already found by any new information that may or may not even be correct.

Hold on to the truth, don’t give it up to doubt (from yourself or others)

Once you have searched for the truth with an open mind, examining evidence and verifying reputation and sources, you can be confident that you found is true, then don’t doubt it later. When you have decided with good reason to believe something, then don’t give way to doubt and forget why you originally chose to believe it. If someone else doubts what you found to be true, hold to what you believe or take the time to examine it again to be sure, but don’t doubt it just because someone else doubts it. If you doubt it, then reexamine the reasons you believed it already. If someone else expresses doubt about what you believed, then reexamine the reasons again as well. But be guarded against unnecessary doubt, the doubt that comes from another person not yet searching out and finding the truth about the topic. Take this as an opportunity to share with them the factual evidence you have found out during your search for the truth on the topic. Remember that if you have found solid, truthful evidence, it can withstand questioning (by you or by others).

Don’t be afraid to lead – if others have not yet discovered the truth

I do believe that most people would like to know the truth, even if they do not necessarily take the time to search for it. Those who have taken the time to search for the truth on a particular topic have the opportunity to lead others to understanding the truth, especially when there has been wrong or misleading information on the topic. Most people appreciate someone else sharing information that is compelling and based on fact, although some may not accept it as truth, especially if it goes against their current perspective or belief on the topic. Where this is particularly difficult is on issue-related topics since emotions can run high, and the impact of information supporting one side of the issue can be particularly resisted by those whose beliefs fall on the opposing side of the issue. But it is still important to share truth since there are those who are also searching for it and will appreciate that someone has found true information and is sharing it.

Example: Media Effects Theories

Throughout history, there has been a struggle for control of information to impact the masses, to thus control the crowd. This has looked different in different cultures and during different time periods, but the persistent theme has been to strategize how to influence the masses. The term “propaganda” began in 1622 when the “Propaganda Fide” was created by the Roman Catholic Church in an attempt to suppress the Protestant Reformation. Since then, propaganda has been released in many different forms to many different audiences around the world, but the same primary objective remains: Communication to propagate specific conditions through influencing the audience.

In the United States, research on how to influence the audience grew during the war years. After WWI, when the U.S. had an influx of propaganda in various forms, as well as “disinformation campaigns” aimed to discredit their opposition, the search for a “hypodermic needle” or a “magic bullet” of how propaganda works began in earnest. The objective was to discover how propaganda really works so that “bad” propaganda from outside the U.S. could not have effective influence but also so that “good” propaganda from the government could effectively influence. Either way, there was a serious search for understanding of how propaganda can “work” to accurately influence the masses for specific informational messaging. This became known as “media effects” research that produced “media effects” theories of how to influence the audience, and continues today.

In the 1930s, the mass media became more powerful with easier ways to persuade audiences using large newspapers, radio, and eventually movies and television. Some mass communication theorists believed the mass media provides stimulus which then triggers audience response, which was later became known as the “magic bullet” theory. A focus on government control of mediated messages geared to protect the people motivated the Experimental Section of the army’s research branch, headed by psychologist Carl Hovland (1953) in the search to identify media effects. The research showed that propaganda effects were less influential over attitudes of the audience than was previously believed.

The search for methods of influence involved probing many angles of possible influence, including prestige: “It may be that this direct association between the opinion items and the prestige led to a greater retention of prestige effects on subsequent responses to these items” (Kelman & Hovland, 1953, p. 334). The concept of individual differences, including personal influence and the two-step flow of communication, came into the forefront of communication theory: “The idea that persons, and especially opinion leaders, could be looked upon as another medium of mass communication, similar to magazines, newspapers and radio. We could study their “coverage,” their effect, and, in a way, their content” (Katz & Lazarsfeld, 1955, p. 11). This marked the change from the belief that the media was powerful to the theory that the media had limited effects.

Persuasion research about limited media effects dominated research from the 1950s to the 1990s, with many researchers evaluating the methods and extent to which the mass media can influence societies by changing personal opinions and behaviors through persuasion or fear tactics. There is still the debate in research today about the level of media influence, if the audience is easily influenced by mass messaging that is considered “strong media effects” or less influenceable by mass messaging is considered “limited media effects.” 

Continue searching for more angles of the truth and for more information

Once you have found truthful information, the search is not over. There is always more truthful information to be found and more angles of understanding to consistently add and adjust throughout your life. It is part of the human experience on earth, to seek truth and find it, then to again search for more truth to add to your understanding. It can be very rewarding for those who continually seek, find, learn and share true information about many topics, this is important for the general understanding of many topics and issues on earth. While everyone receives information and learns and grows in understanding to some extent, there are those who take the time to proactively seek truth and share it, while others may be more passive or more influenced by persuasion or incorrect information.

Write it down

Whether you intend to share with others about the information you found or just want to make notes for your own memory, it can be a good exercise to write down the truthful information you found so that you have it to refer back to. Since many times when we think we understand something clearly the details can later become somewhat convoluted by the release of other information on the topic or a similar topic, thus it can be helpful to make clear notes about what, when and where you found information that seems to be truthful. Then you have it to compare with new or other information at a later time. If you write it down, you will also have that information to share clearly with others who may be interested if the opportunity comes along, or to share if someone questions contradicting information online.

Don’t be duped by those trying to persuade away from the truth

There are always some people who have the goal of persuading others away from truthful information, sadly. Although they often know the truth, they don’t want others to know the truth, believe the truth or to share the truth. This can be if they wish something wasn’t true or if the outcome of data contradicts what they hoped for, or if the truthful information does not support their goal in some way. They will often go to great measures and spend extensive time and resources in the effort to turn people away from the truth about a person or issue. If you think someone is working against truth-seeking, it is best to avoid listening to them or being persuaded in any way by their (often compelling) campaign to distract or detract from others having access to truthful information about a person or topic. If you have the opportunity to share truthful information to counteract the efforts of those trying to persuade people away from the truth, consider the help it would be to give that information to support truth-seeking people.

                       It is also important to avoid agreeing with anything that is not true or accurate. It is not accommodating or collegial to agree with something that is not true, even with the goal of cooperation. It is more helpful in the long term to provide truthful support to a topic or situation, and those who are truth-seeking will appreciate it. Unfortunately, there are those who do not have the goal of finding the truth but on pressuring toward a particular outcome or belief, whether it is true and accurate or not. You cannot necessarily use factual evidence to influence those who are not seeking the truth. In many situations, however, the truth will eventually be discovered by the and you will be glad that you stayed on the side of the truth.