Visibility bias is a cognitive bias that explains how we can lean more towards people who are the loudest in the room or speak first, or any kind of prominence (status, clothing, money) often finding them more credible and trustworthy than others. 

This is something that I have had multiple experiences with. I could not put my finger on what it was called, or that it was even called anything. 

I recently spoke on it in the context of false preachers and teachers. Mostly surrounding how, just because you are loud, doesn’t mean you’re always right. 

I mean, when you think about it, or at least I think about it, at times when I’ve felt I was sharing the truth, oftentimes I was loud. I wasn’t loud, needing to be right, but I was loud thinking I was right. 

From this alone, and finding out I was wrong has humbled me many times. 

But never mind that, the focus is how I feel when that is happening, and from that, at least partially, I understand how some false preachers and teachers feel when they are doing such. 

Just this strong sense of being right, one that overtakes logic and reason at times, because your case is solely based on how you feel about it. This way of thinking is blinding. 

Most people have experienced this, visibility bias is something you can understand even from the point of view of being the loud one or are prominent in other ways. 

Do not feel judged. After all my experiences, I find it to be a common thing among humans, and also something that you can change once you are no longer ignorant of the fact that you do it. 

Before I continue, this post is not about false teachers and preachers. I only mentioned them because I recently made an Instagram post about them specifically. 

Now continuing.. 

I just wanted to talk about how interesting it is to me—visibility bias. 

I knew there was such a thing as emotional bias, where one’s emotions rule one’s thinking and understanding about something more than being rational and logical. 

Visibility Bias was something I experienced as a silenced kid all through my childhood and adolescence. I just didn’t have a name for it. 

But, oh, I understand it very well. 

When I got older I began to hold on to my thoughts and not others. That is something I have always done. But as a child, experiencing this had a different impact on me than people being able to change my mind.

While I didn’t change my mind, and at the time, didn’t understand what was happening, I would have my own thoughts and opinions, and because someone else was loud, I would suppress my own. 

Now, my own thoughts and emotions didn’t change. At least because I experienced it, I believe it did something far worse. 

I didn’t trust my own mind. 

I would think what I think and feel how I feel, but I didn’t trust my natural self and instincts, because someone with a louder voice had told me what I felt and thought. 

This could have been that I didn’t feel anything. Or their beliefs being spoken loud, causing me to subconsciously believe that they are more right. Paired with my own thoughts, I would look at my mind with sorrow.

Now, as I look back, I understand what I was experiencing was confusion about why I felt like they were right but didn’t believe them. 

As I grew up, I realized that most people were opinionated and wanted to think what they wanted. I learned to understand that most of my experiences were people trying to push their thoughts on me, or taking advantage of the fact that I was a child and couldn’t defend myself. 

But I am blessed to not have changed my mind. I only sought to understand these phenomena. 

This all went on until I was about 17 years old. Then I realized people were not just loud, they were more. They lived life like the world was their own. The one they see only through their lens and experience. But the world is full of people.

Not long after, in some sense or fashion, I learned that most people are like characters in other people’s minds. I also learned how selfish people are. And how most people don’t have the slightest intentions to understand the people they are speaking to and the people they are around, including those they share the world with. 

As a young adult, though, I haven’t fully been able to block out knowing what people are doing, especially the kinds of things they are loud about. This is where you learn a little about someone’s character. It’s not something I mind understanding actively. Though, it can be much at times.

Nonetheless, it’s like ping pong in my mind, listening to people now. Them speaking and me holding to my own thoughts, and not changing them under pressure. 

I don’t always share my thoughts out loud for a lot of reasons, mostly because I foresee that it would cause more damage than good. But this is one reason for my blog. To share my thoughts without the pressure or active anger from the things some people are loud about.

I did not grow up confrontational and I don’t find a useful reason for me to argue with someone. So, if I know I won’t say anything right and just be angry, I do choose to remain silent. Right now, in my mind that is the best option for me. And it’s not because I care about them, I care about myself more than arguing with someone. 

Every time I do, I regret it and wish I just held my peace and not place myself in distress. 

Anyway, (un-dismissively)…

Take all this and pair it with social media. 

Instead of it being loud, I begin to see the individuality of everyone. Witnessing them experience their lives and learning what’s important to them. 

The only concern for me is what you’re loud about. 

None of this is to shame anyone for being that way, though it is my personal belief, that with some things, you should have shame. How else will you hold your tongue against speaking evil? 

I know when things like this are spoken about, most people begin to feel seen, and that understandably bothers them. 

I am no better than anyone. I did, however, want to share my understanding and experience with this thing that we all may experience, and act out. 

Because sometimes, it’s never until you know about something, or learn a phrase or word to explain what you’re feeling, that you begin to pay attention to your actions and want to change for the better. 

So there you have it, visibility bias. Take this and place it everywhere, because some people, you believe, just because they are loud, and you don’t see it. And you’re not really aware or given an option in some cases. 

Believe it or not, but just like I can share with you what I know to help, people are a clever kind of evil, that they would use your human psychology against you. 

Study consumerism and the tactics of retail brands. 

Keep your mind, don’t let someone or something make it up for you. You are better off wrong, with the goal to understand, than you are continuing to allow someone to control you.