The Era of Due Diligence: Searching for Truth in a World That Blurs It

How We Got Here

I don't think people ever asked for the power to publish all their thoughts and ideas to the entire world. I think they just wanted to feel closer to the people that couldn't sit with or visit every Sunday, to connect with their loved ones or old friends.

But instead of connection, they got exposure. That exposure came through digital mechanisms designed to keep people "connected" but easily exploited by advertisers.

They got metrics. Feedback loops. Dopamine rushes.

They got anonymous comment sections and viral strangers with loud opinions that many did not foresee.

The connection they got was to their devices, and that connection never quite gave them the same human-to-human connections they truly wanted.

We opened the door to a world where anyone can say anything. Where voices and opinions may not be coming to individual humans, now we are left trying to figure out what, if anything, is real.

That's what this article is really about.

The Exhaustion of Just Trying to Know

People talk about disinformation like it's a political or security problem. But what is seen is something quieter and more personal.

I see people who are tired. Not because they've given up, but because they've tried. They've tried to verify what they heard. Tried to research what is going on. Tried to dig a little deeper.

And what they find is noise. Conflicting reports. Credible-looking sources with no real source behind them.

AI-generated content.

Fake consensus.

"Facts" that shift.

Institutions they used to trust for unbiased and fact-centered information, failing them. Again.

Even the people who want to get it right start to pull back from the information environment or seeking refuge in echo-chambers. Not because they don't care, but because the work of finding the truth has started to feel like a full-time job.

And a full-time job is something they already have. One that feeds their families, puts a roof over their heads, and delivers the little luxuries we enjoy together as humans.

I call it truth fatigue.

The Ground Beneath Us Moved

We used to have a baseline.

You could check the news, ask a smart friend, or trust an expert. You had trusted information brokers who helped you interpret or assess things.

You didn't always agree, but at least you knew where the line was drawn between "true", "debate", and "nonsense".

Now the line moves. It's often drawn by an algorithm, a trend, or someone's ability to appear credible online. They even put on a performance of credibility.

Anyone can look right or correct. Anyone can sound complex or informed, giving the appearance of accuracy. That doesn't mean they are accurate or correct.

We've built a world where social proof, such as likes, shares, and confidence, often stands in for evidence. In that kind of world, even sincere people are forced to become amateur analysts just to feel grounded in a baseline.

We Didn't Choose This Role, It Was Given to Us

I don't think the average person wants to fact-check every headline, research every post, or analyze the motives of every source. But we are not in a world that gives us that luxury of trusting blindly anymore.

We must adapt.

We develop habits of checking, verifying, and cross-referencing. We learn to be cautious, not cynical. At least not at first. But if you do that work long enough and still find the truth buried, twisted, or missing altogether, cynicism starts to feel less like a personal flaw and more like a survival instinct.

It doesn't come from apathy. It comes from trying too hard for too long with too little reward or outcome. And that's the part we don't talk enough about.

This isn't just about information. It's about people trying to stay grounded in a world that keeps shifting under their feet. They're not just vetting headlines. They are also trying to hold on to something reliable. Something real.

That's what I mean by the Era of Due Diligence.

It isn't just a legal process. It's not a financial, M&A checkbox.

A cultural necessity for restoring clarity and normalcy.

The Danger of Softening What's Really Going On

We throw around worlds like "disinformation" and "narrative manipulation", and while those are accurate, they're also a bit sterile. They gloss over the hard truth. Let's be clear and precise with our language here -

People are lying.

They're misleading.

They're profiting from confusion.

They're weaponizing language, distorting facts, and building empires on emotional manipulation. When we soften that reality, we lose more than clarity. We lose standards. And once standards go, anything becomes acceptable. And when anything is acceptable, chaos is not far behind.

Technology Can't Think for Us, Or Shouldn't

We've built incredible tools, AI detectors, fact-check extensions and technology. Source Graders. Deepfake warnings.

But tools are only as good as the judgement behind them. That is the judgement of the developer, selection of source material to train it, and the user on the applied end.

We cannot and should not automate discernment. We cannot and should not delegate our values.

We still need people who know how to ask better questions. People who aren't just skilled, but grounded. People who have tradecraft - a tradecraft rooted in context, courage, and clarity.

Maybe that sounds old-school, but honestly, I think it's where we are headed next.

A Quiet Return to Stewardship

There was a time when librarians were among the most trusted people in society.

Not because they had all the answers, but because they protected the integrity of where the answers came from. The knew how to organize chaos. How to validate sources. How to hold the line.

That mindset, quiet, principled, and methodical might be the most important one we can reclaim today.

Because in a world where truth doesn't surface on its own, it takes people, real people, to carry it back into the light.

"Calling large models 'intelligent' is like calling a library smart." - Jason Lanier 2023-2024