
Unmasking the Global Authenticity Crisis
In this episode, we explore the pressing issues of the social authenticity crisis affecting many societies globally, which is being driven among other reasons by AI-generated content, political polarization, and eroded trust in institutions. We discuss how this crisis impacts our daily lives, the difficulty in distinguishing genuine information, and the role of misinformation in deepening divides. We also explore the implications of polarization on mental health, relationships, and social well-being. As always, we guide listeners through intentions and prayers aimed at fostering dialogue, understanding, and a movement towards a beloved community that embraces difference.
Intentions and prayers start at 17 minutes 10 seconds.
Suggested Intention Focus for this week
This week, as we consider the critical crisis of authenticity affecting many polarised societies, and in the face of increasingly unreliable and deliberately fake information sources that many of us are exposed to, we suggest holding as our main intention:
We will that there will be widespread awareness of the value of working toward a beloved community that celebrates and embraces, rather than polarizes and demonises, differences of views and ways of being.
Please join us in holding this.
Chapter markers:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:56 Understanding the Authenticity Crisis
00:04:27 The Rising Polarization
00:09:06 Effects of Polarization on Society
00:12:28 The Personal Impact of Polarization
00:16:27 Moving Towards Healing and Change
00:17:10 Intentions and Prayers
Useful resources relating to this episode:
Global Healing Response Quarter 1 2025 theme, Authenticity/Groundedness https://globalhealingresponse.com/ghr-2025-q1-authenticity-groundedness/
Global Healing Response Quarter 2 2025 theme, Authenticity/Grit https://globalhealingresponse.com/ghr-2025-q1-authenticity-groundedness-2/
Listen to our episode, Embracing Authenticity at: https://www.heartfulimpact.com/e/embracing-authenticity-a-new-years-journey-to-true-change/
The 2025 Edelman’s Trust Barometer Global Report can be downloaded at https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer
Sources referenced in this episode:
https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/8/pgad246/7234412
https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/10/pgae426/7821170
https://adata.pro/blog/5-things-you-should-know-about-crisis-communications-in-2025/
https://ifstudies.org/blog/now-political-polarization-comes-for-marriage-prospects
https://cess-nuffield.nuff.ox.ac.uk/files/Eugen-Dimant_Hate-Trumps-Love.pdf
https://cobsinsights.org/2024/10/16/the-ripple-effects-of-political-polarization-in-society/
https://coreywilkspsyd.com/2025-predictions/
https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/PanelDetails/13043
https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6765.12623
https://fgsglobal.com/insights/crisis-management-2025-trends-and-developments
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-05/ran_the_media_and_polarisation_052023_en.pdf
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19401612251315597-articles.6
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916231186409
https://llyc.global/en/ideas/the-psychological-factors-associated-with-polarization/
https://newdiscourses.com/2021/04/authenticity-and-the-woke-crisis-of-the-real/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/isj.12453
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10372506/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11093341/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8630091/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9802430/
https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/summit-2025-the-authenticity-advantage/
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-partisan-polarization-drives-the-spread-of-fake-news/
https://www.icip.cat/perlapau/en/article/polarization-harms-democracy-and-society/
https://www.iofc.org/en/news/healing-polarization-2025
https://www.kungfu.ai/blog-post/ai-authenticity--what-does-it-mean-to-be-real-in-2025
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00089-2
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/
https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/the-psychology-of-political-polarization/
https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/political-polarization-affecting-mental-health
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953621003087
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272725000076
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0267364924000293
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/civicjustice/_pdf/Polarized%20Politics%20.pdf
https://www.uwyo.edu/news/2021/02/researchers-find-broad-impacts-from-political-polarization.html
https://www.verywellmind.com/group-polarization-theories-and-examples-7547335
https://www.visionofhumanity.org/trend-of-political-disruption-kickstarts-again-in-2025/
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/polarization-across-28-countries/
https://www.voronoiapp.com/demographics/Over-30
https://www.youthforum.org/files/220420-article-polarisation.pdf
Join us in person for intention holding:
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.
Our websites:
www.heartfulimpact.com/ Our show website.
https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.
https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.
Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.
Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.
Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.
Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).
Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.
Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.
Impact!
Impact! is a podcast that creates change WITH our listeners, using the power of prayer and intention to bring about positive change in our world. Each week, we explore one aspect of what it means to pray, offer healing, or send intention out into the world, and by so doing, to actually have an impact. We welcome anyone who wants to play their part in creating peace, harmony and healing in the world.
- No. of episodes: 89
- Latest episode: 2025-06-05
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