Facing What's inside us and around us

We all want reliable information to make good decisions. But in today’s flood of content, clear thinking has never been harder. This post highlights two reasons why:

1️⃣ What we bring (What’s inside us)
2️⃣ What comes our way (What’s around us)

And then reminds us what we can do about it.

👤 What We Bring

Each of us carries biases that shape how we see the world. These can be helpful shortcuts, but they can also nudge us toward info that simply confirms what we already believe or what feels good in the moment.

We also tend to trust the voices closest to us, even when their claims may not hold up. That’s part of being human—it helps us belong. But it can often keep us from considering new evidence or changing our minds.

📱 What Comes Our Way

Information is rarely neutral. Platforms also amplify content engineered to influence us, especially through outrage, fear, and identity appeals.

Because algorithms reward engagement, emotionally charged posts spread faster than accurate but balanced information.

The result? Echo chambers, polarization, and greater vulnerability to misinformation (accidental falsehoods) and disinformation (deliberate deception).

🛠️ Twella Toolkit

To address the twin challenges of what’s inside and around us, we need:

📌 Self-awareness—recognizing how our emotions, beliefs, biases, and prior knowledge shape our judgments.
📌 Discernment—evaluating who created or shared the info and why, the claims and evidence, and the tactics used to influence us.

This enables clear thinking and it’s the heart of the Twella approach. The tools, resources, and programs make sure young people develop self-awareness and discernment skills to become more confident, independent thinkers.

With a laser focus on helping them outsmart social media (where thinking often goes to die).

🤝 Thinking Well, Together

As we become stronger independent thinkers, we also recognize that good thinking thrives in community. By questioning together, sharing insights, and holding each other accountable, we sharpen our understanding and spot blind spots.

This shared practice builds habits of clear thinking and the individual and community resilience needed to address misinfo and disinfo.

That’s the work: tools + community = clearer thinking.

And future newsletter posts will explore ways of doing this work.