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Notes from a nameless conference | the fifth wave

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Sometime this year, I found myself at a conference centered around the theme of “regaining trust.”  For obvious reasons, I won’t name names, but it was a professional gathering of the old regime:  the industrial elites.  In their hundreds if not thousands, I was swarmed by people of good will who were also smart, articulate, and hyper-educated.  They craved, sincerely, to help the disadvantaged and save the earth.  The words “science” and “reason” were perpetually on their lips, as if they held the copyright for these terms – which, in a sense, they did.  And if they were a bit defensive, a tad obtuse, their intentions were the purest I could imagine. So why, by their own admission, do they no longer inspire trust? I have met their kindred before, in other glittering places.  They run the institutions that hold center stage in our society, but look on the world as if from a walled mountain fortress, where every loud noise from beyond is interpreted as risk and threat.  They disagree ab

Notes from a nameless conference | the fifth wave the fifth wave Information and influence in the age of the public Skip to content Home About What is the fifth wave? ← AOC explained: A digital performer enters the political stage Revolt and disinformation in Hong Kong: My interview with atlantico.fr → Notes from a nameless conference Posted on July 23, 2019 by thefifthwave Sometime this year, I found myself at a conference centered around the theme of “regaining trust.” For obvious reasons, I won’t name names, but it was a professional gathering of the old regime: the industrial eli

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