Vincent F. Hendricks – författare

The Ministry of Truth scrutinizes the information market in the era of the attention economy calling on citizens, public educators and politicians to action in averting the role of BigTech in critical infrastructure. Through phenomena such as influencers, ‘fake news’, and covid conspiracies, the authors reveal how social platforms control facts, feelings and narratives in our time to such a degree that they are the de facto arbiters of truth. BigTech seemingly controls the information infrastructure and also decides what we pay attention to. 

The authors suggest hope for a more democratic internet through their systematic analysis of the largest players of the information age. The aim is to amplify human agency for a robust deliberative democracy — not version 2.0 — but a lasting version with staying power. This book appeals to the general interest reader and professional invested in the mobilization of responsible technological development.

VincentF. Hendricks is Professor of Formal Philosophy at The University of Copenhagen. He is Director of the Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS) funded by the Carlsberg Foundation.

Camilla Mehlsen is Digital Media Expert and Spokesperson for the Danish child organization Children’s Welfare. She is author of several books on digital literacy and her work on digital media has been published in various newspapers and magazines.

In this book, Vincent F. Hendricks draws on game theory, behavioral economics and moral philosophy in a scathing critique of what he calls whataboutmeism. A form of egoism in which life is viewed as a zero-sum game.

The colleague is promoted; a friend hangs out with another friend but not you; and your partner decides to spend the day off with the friends. Promptly we may ask: “What about me?!” Often enough the answer to that recurring question should simply be: “What about you? It’s not about you!”

By systematically confusing autonomy with egoism and groupthink with democracy we develop and sustain this way of thinking. To overcome this trend of whataboutmeism we must take a hard look at ourselves, the games we play, the way we behave and discipline ourselves into realizing ‘it’s not all about me’.

Humorous, erudite yet scholarly, the book covers this prevalent trend in society that rages online as well as offline. By providing a full analysis of said trend based on game theory, behavioral economics and moral philosophy, the author helps us realise that it’s not all about me. It’s about us.