Managed Reality TM: Difference between revisions

'''Managed Reality™''' is a sociopolitical concept introduced by Eric Weinstein [https://x.com/ericrweinstein/status/1360254928929738756 thread on Twitter (now X)] on February 12, 2021, which describes a coordinated regime of information control, in which conformity to institutional narratives is enforced through both overt and subtle mechanisms. It leads to catastrophic dysfunction in science, journalism, policy, and public discourse by penalizing dissent, simulating consensus, and instructing experts and laypeople alike to "act as if" conflicting evidence does not exist. '''Managed Reality™''' contrasts with a free, decentralized information ecosystem by implying that reality itself is being managed, rather than discovered or openly debated. According to Weinstein, it is the defining epistemic crisis of the current institutional era.

'''Managed Reality™''' describes a form of institutionalized narrative control, wherein powerful institutions and the [[Extractive Elite|kleptocratic elites]] within them seek to actively shape, curate, manipulate, constrain, protect, and enforce an official, consensus version of events, knowledge, scientific claims, political legitimacy, social norms, and interpretation across media, academia, government, and technology platforms, often leading to the suppression, alteration, or "[[Prebunked Malinformation|prebunking]]" of information to maintain a specific societal or political status quo. This [[Cobalt and Baby Blue-on-Blue|enforcement]] often involves suppressing dissent, obscuring contradictory evidence, and delegitimizing heterodox perspectives, even when those perspectives are held by experts or supported by empirical claims. The term is pejorative, and is intended to criticize the coordinated suppression of heterodox viewpoints, particularly those that challenge institutional authority or dominant narratives.

Eric first introduced the concept of '''Managed Reality™''' in a [https://x.com/ericrweinstein/status/1360254928929738756 thread on Twitter (now X)] on February 12, 2021. '''Managed Reality™''' has since served as a unifying label for Weinstein’s critiques of narrative management across multiple domains including public health, economics, science policy, and journalism.