Herd stupidity/insanity

I first came across “Herd Stupidity/Insanity” in my early years as management consultant, and I had to lecture on human behavior in organizations. I have an undergrad degree in Philosophy and Psychology before my Engineering courses and an MBA, but I had to do research on the subject. The term came up again in this COVID pandemic, when Jim Acosta of CNN reported last May, that two right-wing Republicans were spreading disinformation about the virus and denying the efficacy of the vaccines, thereby promoting herd stupidity in certain areas. Last week Indonesian epidemiologist Pandu Riono used the term alleging that the government and many Indonesians are not doing the right things to stop the pandemic. Mixed messaging from the government and fake news in the social media is creating this “Herd Stupidity/Insanity”. This is an interesting issue as it is so against the herd immunity concept that all countries are trying to achieve to contain this pandemic. And this doesn’t only apply to pandemics, but many cases of human behavior, especially political and social behavior.

A short definition of “herd stupidity” is when a certain percentage of the population becomes immune to using their brains, influenced by media and groups that provides them comfort and isolation from the majority. A good example of these are the anti-vaxxers, supporters of Trump who still believe they won the election, or the people who believe that the Nazis didn’t kill millions of Jews. More colorful examples are; herds of sheep falling off a cliff following a stupid shepherd/leader, or the story of a dictator’s followers who, when told by the dictator to jump off the building, chorused “from what floor, sir?” As opposed to herd immunity, herd stupidity afflicts only a minority or the lunatic fringe from both sides of the population distribution. The danger is when herd stupidity afflicts more than the fringe minorities and starts to win elections.

Herd stupidity is economic status neutral as it afflicts all income classes from the lower classes to the upper classes. This is validated by the anti-vaxxers, Trumpers, and DDS followers. There is partly an intellectual and educational bias, as the better-educated have access to more and varied information, and better evaluators of veracity and reality. Still, this is no guarantee as biased people tend to filter information and sources to get only the information that supports their views. There are also brainy people who have an exaggerated opinion of their abilities, “sobrang bilib sa sarili”, who are prone to hold extreme views that encourage herd stupidity.

The big factor in herd stupidity is social media, as it is the dominant source of information and a major influencer. The wider and broader the social media network is the less prone it is to herd stupidity as multiple sources of information filters false narratives. This is why urban areas are less susceptible to fake news than rural areas. Social media networks help in this aspect, except when the herd purposely becomes selective and directs the herd only to specific social media sites that promote their advocacies. This even happens in organized religions that promotes only specific media sources for their congregations. Dedicated trolls and influencers are even used to feed the news and information to enforce the herd’s fake news.

Herd stupidity will never be eliminated as there will always be vulnerable people. Socially-marginalized persons lacking direction will latch on to conspiracy theories and other incredible stories, as it gives meaning to their lives. The objective for an orderly society is to minimize and contain herd stupidity, so that that it will not disrupt social, political, and economic development. Good government and electing good officials who adhere to accountability, transparency, truth, and justice will keep “herd stupidity” at bay.