These days we are awash in a sea of information from a mind-boggling number and variety of sources, many attempting to influence us by shaping our thoughts, emotions, and ultimately our behaviors in certain ways — to buy this product or service, to support that cause or candidate, and so on. Some of these influence efforts are positive or at least benign, others not so much. Some are fact-based and truthful, others more deceptively manipulative. And so it falls on us to evaluate this sometimes overwhelming flow of information to determine what deserves our attention, and what can or should be ignored.

Sadly, there are many bad actors out there these days using time-tested deceptive influence techniques for malevolent purposes — from the phone scammer trying to frighten you into turning over personal information or send money, to the proverbial “snake oil salesman” hawking his “cure” for whatever ails you, to the cult leader gradually brainwashing his followers, to the brutal dictator controlling his nation’s people with an iron fist.

The focus here, however, is on those widespread influence efforts now serving to divide us as a nation and to set us against each other over our differences while blinding us to the common ground and shared values forming the foundation of our great nation. Those behind these efforts are based both outside of our nation (Russian agencies have become extraordinarily well skilled and aggressive at doing this) and within, all using well-known influence techniques to further their own political and personal agendas.

Some of the techniques involved are likely familiar to you. Certainly fear-mongering and promoting an “us vs. them” mentality (paired with an implied or explicit “good vs. evil” one) is one of the most emotionally powerful and frequently used influence strategies. “They” can be scapegoated and blamed for victimizing “us,” increasingly portrayed as a menacing and growing threat, and then more viciously maligned, dehumanized and demonized, further inflaming emotions and inhibiting critical thinking, widening the divide, and rallying those on “our” side. When this is interwoven with various types of confusion and gaslighting techniques designed to obscure and sow uncertainty about the truth and to undermine the credibility of outside sources of information, it softens the ground for what comes next. Targeted disinformation techniques used to progressively shape thinking and perceptions in the desired directions quickly follow, along with ceaseless repetition, often via “catchy” slogans, and growing mob mentality pressures. This is when the insidious power of such techniques can shine most darkly.

As history has shown us over and over, it is typically at this point that a rising cult leader and/or dictator can step in to present themselves as the one and only source of truth (knowing well the critical importance of controlling the flow of information), and the only one able to save “us” from these malevolent “others.” And as we have seen too many times, the results can be unimaginably horrifying.

So. It is critical for each of us to stay grounded in the face of this nonstop barrage of information and intertwined efforts to manipulate us, and to use all of our critical thinking skills in dealing with it — healthy skepticism, questioning, fact-checking, seeking other sources of information which we trust, and so on. And surely mental alarms should immediately go off when we encounter efforts to frighten and divide us, and to promote the degrading and hatred of targeted “others.”

Perhaps most importantly, we must never lose sight of that common ground and those shared values uniting us as Americans, despite our disagreements and differences. Here, we can still passionately voice our differing opinions, seeking to reach reasonable compromises in a solution-focused and collaborative way. America, this “shining city on the hill,” is loved for her inclusiveness and respect for each person’s dignity and freedoms, paired with her relentless striving for equality and justice. We who are blessed to be her citizens must not allow our compassion and willingness to look beyond our differences to support each other be insidiously undone by those, foreign and domestic, seeking to divide us for their own malevolent purposes.

Sure, it’s a messy and imperfect process, this democracy of ours. Indeed, Winston Churchill reportedly stated that it “is the worst form of government — except for all the others.” We must not allow the fabric of our great nation to be torn apart by those cunningly trying to turn us against each other to serve their own malign purposes. Surely we must stand together in order to best handle these unique challenges now facing us.

Dale E. Buonocore is a Warren resident.