Overview

These essays provide a framework for understanding how we make decisions using the concept of “parallax.” Parallax is perceptual distortion created by viewing something from different angles. Specialized media which cater to the whims of a particular audience are replacing mass media which represented multiple points of view. For the first time in history, “interests” are beginning to define communities more than geography with profound consequences. Media proliferation has enabled people to isolate themselves intellectually within information enclaves that reinforce their views of the world. People use “selective reception” to filter the avalanche of information inundating them, but this tendency can skew decisions, make people less willing to compromise, and affect many other aspects of life.