The Luxury of Shared Opinions

It is quite common to hear someone say, “This is my opinion on the matter”.

Many of our tweets, facebook status updates, personal messages or/and blog posts are our expressions of opinions; or re-posts of opinions of others which resonate with us. Of course there is the occasional sarcastic remark, joke or attempt at mockery. These can be misunderstood if isolated or taken out of context.

This got me thinking of the many who refrain from intellectual discourse, who do not share or cannot afford to share an opinion. You may say, “what do you mean? everyone has an opinion”, but that isn’t the case. Here’s why I think so.

_Formation of Opinions_

Opinions aren’t innate to us, we form them ourselves with acquired information. Sometimes our opinions are guided by sentiments (think indoctrination/propaganda) and not facts. It takes knowledge to craft an opinion. The knowledge could be right, wrong or flawed.

Acquisition of knowledge requires a desire for it. From Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, one can deduce that those at the lowest cadre do not care much for knowledge.

_Consequences of Shared Opinions_

Opinion possession or/and expression has consequences. The consequences can be positive or negative.

Positive Consequences

1. Alliances: One can build alliances with people of like minds. These alliances can lead to benefits such as an internet followership; on facebook, twitter or your blog. These are mostly temporal and may skew the formation of subsequent opinions in favour of the benefactor(s). This is evident in the cases of Public Relations for individuals, firms or even a nation.

2. Jobs: You can also gain jobs from the nature of your posts. A personality profile can be done from the kind of content you share. It is becoming more common for potential employers, especially those in public relations, to request your social media account details. Your posts stand to your advantage or disadvantage.

Negative Consequences

1. Loss of Credibility: When found to be wrong, you lose the status of “credible source”.

2. Prosecution: Libel or mis-information is a serious offence, punishable by law. News agencies are not exempt from such.

3. Loss of Neutrality Advantage: There are advantages to coming off as neutral. You stand to lose out when you criticise wrongly. In this internet age, every post leaves a testament.

You stand to lose job opportunities, or an already existent job for sharing a view (remember Justine Sacco)

_Fluidity of Opinions_

Opinions change. This we can agree on. With new information (knowledge), opinions are reviewed; they could be strengthened, weakened or retracted. How does one create room for possible opinion change?

1. Acknowledge Fallibility: If one comes off as all-knowing and refuses to acknowledge where s/he errs, he is bound to bear the consequences. We’re human and errors are how we learn.

2. Be flexible: “Adapt or die”, a quote I love. When we accept our present form, we do not make room for growth. Extremists are the ones who accept no view contrary to theirs. You do not want to come off as one. Society is founded on tolerance of individual differences.

You can also be flexible when sharing opinions, terms like “from recent observations” show flexibility. They also show that you’re willing to accept the singularity of your view and are open to interact with others who have different views.

Where re-posts aren’t endorsements, state in subsequent post. Disclaimers are to be specific, not general.

Having seen possible consequences of sharing opinions, weigh the options.

**How much do you really know about the subject?

Do you want to share that level of knowledge?

Can you afford to?**