System Error: How Trust Glitched — and How We Reboot

We've been hacked. Not our computers — our culture.

Something is off. Most people sense it, no matter what channel they watch or whose memes they forward. Despite all the noise, most of us — across divides, feeds, and family group chats — feel something is fundamentally wrong. We just can't always put our finger on it.

We feel it in the tension in our shoulders, the weird vibes at work, the doomscrolling we just can't quit. We feel it when we dodge dinner-table debates for the sake of digestion, or when we wonder whether to trust the news, experts — and sometimes even our own judgment.

We're staring at symptoms — not the systems that are causing the glitch.

Let's zoom out.

Western societies were built on something both fragile and extraordinary: trust.

Not just the can-you-water-my-plants-during-vacation kind, but systemic trust — the invisible infrastructure that lets us walk into a courtroom expecting fairness, open a newspaper expecting facts, or disagree in public without fear of being pelted with labels and insults.

Trust is what turns freedom into functional society. It's also what bad actors — political, ideological, or just the online influencer — know how to exploit.

And they have. Systematically. (Honestly, they might deserve loyalty punch cards at this point.)

While we've been distracted, divided, and sometimes binge-watching anything to avoid existential dread, our culture has been… hacked. Not just by code, but by something sneaky — a kind of narrative virus that rewired the circuits beneath our feet.

How did we get here?

Through hidden fracture points — where trust eroded, meaning blurred, and pressure built quietly beneath the surface.

1. Our Nervous Systems Are Under Siege

Media — both mainstream and social — these days is about as relaxing as a coffee IV drip.

We're bombarded with bad news, outrage bait, moral panic, trauma cycles, and algorithmic “Would you like more anxiety with that?”. And it's not just bad for mental health — it's eroding the core capacities that keep us sound and sane: thinking critically, empathising, and staying calm (or at least, calm-ish).

We're stressed and exhausted. It's not a side effect. It's the strategy. It's a business model. Because if your nervous system is hijacked, you can't reason clearly or spot manipulation — let alone remember where you left your keys.

👉 How truth lost its immune system — and why we’re all feeling the fever

2. Our Information Ecosystem Is Polluted

We don't just disagree on facts — we now have custom realities available on-demand. (Now trending: curated rage, personalised paranoia, and algorithmic profit — all in one feed.)

Older generations cling to legacy media, younger ones surf TikTok and YouTube. All swim in different versions of the “truth”, often filtered, sometimes weaponised. Cynicism grows, the field clears for extremists, and those just trying to watch cute cat videos get caught in the crossfire.

Toxic influencers multiply faster than pop-up ads. The system incentivises them. The journey from viral to irate is now disturbingly quick — and doesn't always stay on-screen.

👉 Why we fall for fake fixes — and how they’re making real problems worse

3. Public Discourse Has Been Hollowed Out

We used to debate, now we cancel. Once, “the town square” was a place. Now it's a comment section, where the loudest or most offbeat voices push thoughtful voices out of the conversation, and everyone else scrolls by in self-preservation mode.

Result? Fringe doctrines surge, not because they're convincing, but because few dare to question them. Who wants to risk the digital pitchfork?

👉 What happens when values become optional and the loudest voices take over

4. Trust in Institutions Is Collapsing — And Sometimes, For Good Reason

Cynicism about politicians? That's nothing new. But we once relied on the press, universities, courts, and international bodies as our circuit breakers.

Today too many of these institutions chase clout, confuse partisanship with principle, and often seem more committed to PR than to the public good. (Wouldn't it be nice if “accountability” trended for once?)

Their credibility gaps stoke populism and apathy — the very forces that now gnaw at our foundations.

👉 What the fall of Venice teaches us about the price of comfort and cowardice 

👉 Why our democracy needs an operating system upgrade

So here we are — immersed in a culture that can't think clearly, speak openly, or trust its own foundations. No wonder so many feel overwhelmed or demoralised. Tuning out feels tempting (and has fewer side effects than doomscrolling). But left unchecked, that “let’s ignore it” impulse will dismantle the good life we all want.

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Where do we go from here?

If you feel disempowered, you're not alone. And it's not your fault. But here's a twist the algorithm didn't see coming — This isn't the end of our civilisation's story. It's waiting for us to write it. 

The fractures are real, and yes, they all trace back to one thing — trust. The good news? Trust, unlike chaos, is repairable.

The problem is systemic. That means the solution can be, too. We aren't powerless — we're simply scattered. 

This isn't wishful thinking. Renewal is possible, one awkward conversation and one brave question at a time.

It means rewiring the nervous system of society, together. 

If you're feeling like the world has gone mad, take heart. Most people haven't completely lost their senses — they just need a reminder that bending low to pick up the pieces is what keeps our civilisation glued and growing.

It starts with seeing clearly. Then standing together, even when it's uncomfortable. Then — rebuilding trust. Not blindly, but with open eyes and open minds.

We have the means. For all our problems, we still live in a world of historic privilege. We only have to act like it — together.

We won't agree on everything; we shouldn't try. But maybe we can agree on this:

We all want to live in a healthy, flourishing society. And the future is still up for grabs.

I've been tracing the contours of a better way forward. But a map is nothing without fellow travellers.

When you look back, what story will you want to tell about this moment in history? I choose a story of hope and renewal — the one we write together.