New challenges

IT’S DIFFICULT not to let the C-word influence one’s reflections here in April 2021 – over a year since Poland’s “patient zero” and the first lockdown. As an optimist, I am however inclined to believe that we are getting closer to the end of the strangest time the world – as a union – has experienced for a very long time. I am also a positive-minded person so I would like to think about what we have learned from this past year.

This brings me to the first part of my spring letter: “The Experiment.” Lately, I’ve come across the expression a lot in the media. My thoughts. Have we been in an experiment for the last 12 months and still counting? Nobody knew what was the right thing to do. It still seems like we don’t really know what to do. We are experimenting with closing down the world, with increasing national debts, with people’s lives … I’m not only thinking about the ones at risk of getting ill or dying from the Covid-19 but about the young people, whose lives have just gone online. Their social skills are disappearing. Their diabesity is increasing. And psychologically, it can’t be healthy to be online about 10-14 hours a day. What an experiment! Even though teachers may have learned, after over a year of online teaching, how to tutor kids through distance learning, have they really? They were never trained for this situation and it’s surely an experiment that can impact a whole generation for a very long time.

An experiment can also be positive, however. The positive perspective of the word is that it actually helps people to overcome fear or lack of experience. Experimenting is the way to move forward. Edison famously didn’t fail thousands of times before he succeeded. He experimented and learned what didn’t work until it did. We have never had better times to experiment than right now, so go out and try. Tomorrow can and will be better.

Another double-edged word is “influence.” I have written in my opinion pieces for this magazine, how the pandemic has proven the power the media has. Influence on what people think, fear, do, obey, or don’t. The thing about influence is that since social media became easily accessible, influence has become an opportunity for everyone to be heard, to show and share, but unfortunately also insult, threaten and create fake information. Today’s youth don’t dream about becoming doctors or economists. They want to be influencers or gamers – the belief being that there is so much money to be made from becoming an influencing TikToker, YouTuber, Instagrammer that you don’t even need any education, you just practice and share your life. Where are we heading? Will the powerful tech companies take over countries and become the new influencers and powers of the new world structure? I don’t know but I am watching and I am worried. Bringing my thoughts back to Poland, the state-owned oil giant Orlen recently bought the Polska Press media organization with access to nearly 20 million Poles. Business or influence?

The Warsaw Business Journal is still the first (and surely the last) fiercely independent English-language media outlet. We still aim to bring to the world unbiased information about what happens in Poland. We love Poland and want the world to join us to do business here. Help us spread the word and let’s together experiment and influence the world for the best for Poland.

 MORTEN LINDHOLM