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The Age of Epistemic Solipsism

The greatest threat to truth is not the lie; it's indifference.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

tl:dr;
Epistemic solipsism explores how online algorithms and echo chambers fosters a culture where individuals treat their personal beliefs as self-evident truths.

Welcome to the age of epiยญstemยญic solipsism.

Epistemic solยญipsism explores how social media algorithms, echo chamยญbers, and digitยญal narยญcissยญism have fostered a culยญture where indiยญviduยญals treat their perยญsonยญal beliefs as self-evidยญent truths. 

Drawing on McLuhan, Morozov, Frankfurt, and earliยญer criยญtiques of influยญenยญcer mimยญicry and post-truth pheยญnomยญena, I argue that weโ€™ve entered an era in which epiยญstemยญoยญlogy is no longer comยญmunยญal but perยญformยญatยญive, triยญbal, and danยญgerยญously self-reinforcing.

Here we go:

The Age of Epistemic Solipsism

In an age increasยญingly defined by data deluge, algorithmic curยญaยญtion, and perยญformยญatยญive idenยญtity, a pecuยญliยญar conยญdiยญtion has begun to metaยญstasยญise online: 

I call this pheยญnomenยญon epiยญstemยญic solยญipsism.

Epistemic = relates to knowยญledge or the conยญdiยญtions for acquirยญing, jusยญtiยญfyยญing, and evalยญuยญatยญing truth or belief.

Solipsism = the philoยญsophยญicยญal idea that only oneโ€™s own mind is sure to exist and that knowยญledge of anyยญthing outยญside the self is ultiยญmately unknowable.

This is not clasยญsicยญal solยญipsismโ€‰โ€”โ€‰the metaยญphysยญicยญal notion that only oneโ€™s mind can be known to exist. Epistemic solยญipsism is the intelยญlecยญtuยญal offยญspring of post-truth culยญture, ampยญliยญfied by social media logic. It sugยญgests, simply and danยญgerยญously: โ€œIf I believe it, and if enough people like me also believe it, then it must be true.โ€

Today, we no longer ask, โ€œWhat is true?โ€ but rather, โ€œWhat is true for me?โ€ And increasยญingly, that answer is pre-fed by opaque algorithms that know our preยญdilecยญtions betยญter than we know our own contradictions.

The Feedback Loop of Selective Information

Traditional epiยญstemยญoยญlogy conยญcerns itself with jusยญtiยญfied belief and truth. But in todayโ€™s media landยญscape, jusยญtiยญficยญaยญtion has been outยญsourced to engageยญment metยญrics, and the truth is now filtered through what Evgeny Morozov once called techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal soluยญtionยญismโ€”the notion that all human probยญlems can be solved with more tech, data, and code. 1Morozov, E. (2013). To save everything, click here: The folly of techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal soluยญtionยญism. PublicAffairs.

The epiยญstemยญic subยญjectโ€‰โ€”โ€‰the knowยญerโ€”has become detached from the world and reatยญtached to a simuยญlacยญrum: a realยญity increasยญingly built from reflecยญtions of itself. The selfie is no longer just a photo but a philoยญsophy of being.

In earliยญer writยญings, Iโ€™ve referred to the selfie genยญerยญaยญtion as one obsessed with curยญatยญing its perยญcepยญtion to the point of deluยญsion. Epistemic solยญipsism is that feedยญback loop of belief, image, and selectยญive informยญaยญtion. 2Silfwer, J. (2019, March 2). The Selfie Generation | The Epidemic of Online Narcissism. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹fโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹gโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹on/

Filter Bubbles in the Electronic Age

Eli Pariserโ€™s term filยญter bubble now feels quaint. Initially coined to warn us about perยญsonยญalยญised search resยญults, it describes our entire informยญaยญtionยญal ecoยญsysยญtem. 3Pariser, E. (2011). The filยญter bubble: What the Internet is hidยญing from you. Penguin Press.

Social media algorithms have evolved from conยญtent curยญaยญtion tools to schemยญas for epiยญstemยญic enginยญeerยญing. Their logic is not to broaden your underยญstandยญing but to reinยญforce your pre-existยญing worldยญview, because reinยญforceยญment drives engageยญment, engageยญment drives ad exposยญure, and ad exposยญure drives profit.

With prophยญetยญic brilยญliance, McLuhan foresaw this in his notion of The Electronic Age. He argued that the โ€œglobยญal vilยญlageโ€ creยญated by elecยญtronยญic media would not be a utoยญpia but rather a return to triยญbalยญism and conยญflictโ€‰โ€”โ€‰a kind of doxยญoยญloยญgicยญal warยญfare. 4Silfwer, J. (2024, May 3). The Electronic Age and The End of the Gutenberg Galaxy. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹eโ€‹cโ€‹tโ€‹rโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹ge/ 5McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extenยญsions of man. McGraw-Hill.

Indeed, we are now each the centre of our own vilยญlage, each with our own gods and myths fed to us by algorithmic machines designed to extend the reign of ad-serving capitalism.

Echo Chambers as Epistemic Wombs

The echo chamยญber, once a metaยญphor, is now a metaยญphysยญicยญal realยญity. Inside these tightly sealed domes, opinยญion hardens into dogma. Dissent is framed not as an alternยญatยญive view but as an existยญenยญtial threat. Dialogue becomes danยญgerยญous, nuanced, and elitist.

The epiยญstemยญic solยญipsist thrives here.
They speak only into mirrors.

In a solยญipsistยญic media landยญscape, conยญfirmยญaยญtion bias is not a bug but a feature.

Truth becomes synยญonymยญous with idenยญtity. To quesยญtion is to betray. And so we retreat into epiยญstemยญic wombsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰warm, safe, affirmยญingโ€‰โ€”โ€‰but funยญdaยญmentยญally stillยญbirths of intelยญlecยญtuยญal discourse.

This explains the birth of fake news from the politยญicยญal right and canยญcel culยญture from the politยญicยญal left. It presents not merely as a probยญlem of misยญinยญformยญaยญtion but as a crisis of authorยญity. If everyoneโ€™s truth is equally valยญid, then no truth is necesยญsaryโ€‰โ€”โ€‰only belief. 

And belief, in turn, becomes a lifeยญstyle brand.

Time Magazine - You - Person of the Year - Cover
Time Magazine proยญclaims that you are the perยญson of the year for 2006.

The Kidult Mind and Mimetic Knowing

Iโ€™ve preยญviยญously criยญtiqued the infantยญilยญisaยญtion of adultยญhood, notยญing how modยญern media seduces us into juvenยญile conยญsumpยญtion cycles. But epiยญstemยญic solยญipsism extends this infantยญilยญisaยญtion to thought itself. 6Silfwer, J. (2019, March 2). The Selfie Generation | The Epidemic of Online Narcissism. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹fโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹gโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹on/

The kidยญult does not seek truthโ€‰โ€”โ€‰they seek comยญfort and belongยญing. This is perยญhaps not a philoยญsophยญicยญal shortยญcomยญing; it might just be a neurยญoยญloยญgicยญal shortยญcut. Thinking is metaยญbolยญicยญally expensยญive, while mimยญicry is efficient.

Thus, online wanยญnabeism entersโ€‰โ€”โ€‰the pheยญnomenยญon of mimยญickยญing influยญenยญcers in style and posยญture. To be right is to appear corยญrect. You donโ€™t need to be corยญrect if you can perยญform cerยญtainty with enough flair. 7Silfwer, J. (2021, August 10). Online Wannabeism: Why We Mimic Social Media Influencers. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹wโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹iโ€‹sm/

โ€ŒThis perยญformยญativยญity, once the domain of brands and ideoยญlogues, has become demoยญcratยญised. Each user becomes the no. 1 online influยญenยญcer to themยญselves. And like all influยญenยญcers, they risk becomยญing preยญocยญcuยญpied with an online repยญresยญentยญaยญtion of themselves.

New Architectures for Knowing

What might the counยญterยญforce to this solยญipsism look like?

Ironically, the very mediยญum that ampยญliยญfies epiยญstemยญic solยญipsismโ€”the digitยญal realmโ€”may also be our way out. But it requires rethinkยญing our relaยญtionยญship with techยญnoยญlogy, truth, and each other.

โ€œWe shape our tools, and thereยญafter, our tools shape us.โ€ 8Quote Origin: We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us. (2016, June 27). Quote Investigator. https://โ€‹quoteinโ€‹vestigโ€‹atโ€‹orโ€‹.com/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹0โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹sโ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹pe/

The epiยญstemยญic solยญipsist was shaped by tools designed for dopamยญine, not disยญcernยญment. To escape, we must design new archiยญtecยญtures for knowยญingโ€‰โ€”โ€‰platยญforms that reward curiยญosยญity over cerยญtainty, diaยญlogue over diatribe, and explorยญaยญtion over echo.

The alternยญatยญive is bleak. A sociยญety of solยญipsists canยญnot cohere, solve globยญal probยญlems, engage in reasoned disยญagreeยญment, or grow. It can only fragยญment into increasยญingly isolยญated cells of cerยญtainty, increasยญingly hosยญtile to the shared proยญject of civilisation.

The Narcissism of Bullshit Mirrors

Epistemic solยญipsism is an expresยญsion of a broadยญer culยญturยญal narยญcissยญism. As the philoยญsophยญer Harry Frankfurt warned, the greatest threat to truth is not the lie but bullยญshitโ€”the indifยญferยญence to whethยญer someยญthing is true at all. 9Frankfurt, H. G. (2005). On bullยญshit. Princeton University Press.

Harry G. Frankfurt

โ€œIt is impossible for someone to lie unless he thinks he knows the truth. Producing bullยญshit requires no such conviction.โ€

We are awash in such indifยญferยญence. But the antiยญdote is not some grand truth cruยญsade. It is humilยญity. Curiosity. And, perยญhaps most urgently, the radยญicยญal act of listenยญing to that which we do not wish to hear.

Until then, we remain trapped in a house of mirยญrors, misยญtakยญing our reflecยญtions for reality.

Let us hope we shatยญter a few.

Learn more: The Age of Epistemic Solipsism


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Annotations
Annotations
1 Morozov, E. (2013). To save everything, click here: The folly of techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal soluยญtionยญism. PublicAffairs.
2, 6 Silfwer, J. (2019, March 2). The Selfie Generation | The Epidemic of Online Narcissism. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹sโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹fโ€‹iโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹gโ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹iโ€‹on/
3 Pariser, E. (2011). The filยญter bubble: What the Internet is hidยญing from you. Penguin Press.
4 Silfwer, J. (2024, May 3). The Electronic Age and The End of the Gutenberg Galaxy. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹eโ€‹cโ€‹tโ€‹rโ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹ge/
5 McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extenยญsions of man. McGraw-Hill.
7 Silfwer, J. (2021, August 10). Online Wannabeism: Why We Mimic Social Media Influencers. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โ€‹docโ€‹torโ€‹spinโ€‹.net/โ€‹oโ€‹nโ€‹lโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹wโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹iโ€‹sm/
8 Quote Origin: We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us. (2016, June 27). Quote Investigator. https://โ€‹quoteinโ€‹vestigโ€‹atโ€‹orโ€‹.com/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹0โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹6โ€‹/โ€‹sโ€‹hโ€‹aโ€‹pe/
9 Frankfurt, H. G. (2005). On bullยญshit. Princeton University Press.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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