"Finkoosh" is a new product, unparalleled in the world, set to transform our lives and immerse us in happiness and prosperity. I don’t know its ingredients, but it has a magical ability to solve our problems. This is what Salah Fouad, or actor Adel Imam, said in the film "One by One" directed by Nader Galal. The film revolves around the manager of an advertising agency who claims the existence of a fictitious product called "Finkoosh" and promotes it through massive media campaigns. Salah Fouad continues his plans to market "Finkoosh", emphasizing the need to convince people it's a real and effective product. When Ali Abdel Zaher, a team member, interrupts, asking, "But Professor Salah, we don’t know anything about Finkoosh. We don't even know what it looks like." Salah Fouad replies, "It's not important to know anything about it. What's important is that we market it to people."

Since then, specifically in 1984, the term "Finkoosh" has become widely used colloquially to refer to any scam, deceit, or anything baseless or rootless. Salah Fouad’s character reminds me of the tale of "The Khonfshar". This famous story in Arabic literature speaks of a man who claims wisdom, pretending he knows everything. He talks about science, culture, religion, and politics. One day, a group of students roaming countries in search of knowledge met a scholar. For every word he was asked, he explained its meaning, significance, and would sometimes cite poetic verses to assert his knowledge. He'd even fabricate non-existent historical figures. Growing skeptical, the students decided to invent a non-existent word to test him. They each said a letter, forming the word "Khonfshar". Upon asking him about the term, after a brief pondering, the scholar immediately responded, asserting its old and heritage-rich origins, claiming it was a plant from Yemen that spoils milk if placed in it. He even cited a poetic verse about it. The students were astounded, almost believing its authenticity even though they were its creators. Eventually, they discovered the man was a fraud. He didn't know the meaning of "Khonfshar", and what he said was untrue; it's a non-existent word.

In today's age, social media platforms have become fertile grounds for what can be called the new "Khonfsharites". They pretend to have expertise and knowledge across various domains. Upon closer inspection, we find that what they offer is just another "Finkoosh". They promote baseless ideas and theories to attract more followers and gain quick fame. These individuals have a persuasive power, which real scholars might not possess, exploiting the trust granted by their audience. The "Finkoosh" that Adel Imam promoted in his film was limited to fake advertisements and promotions, but it now manifests in information and content that circulates unchecked. This detachment between knowledge and its source creates a gap that drowns us in a sea of illusions.

Through this gap, the digital "Khonfsharites" can infiltrate our minds. They capitalize on the ignorance and unawareness of their audience, presenting them with what they want to hear, not what they should know. Thus, the digital space becomes an arena for peddling beliefs and ideas, irrespective of their veracity or credibility. In older times, humans were always in search of truth, a fixed reference, a standard that could differentiate between facts and illusions. Today's challenge is to learn discernment in a world rife with "Finkoosh" peddled by "Khonfsharites". With information now at our fingertips, discerning its credibility and quality becomes more complex and essential than ever.

Tawfiq Al-Hakim said, "Slavery will never cease to exist... Each era has its own form of slavery and slaves." This is what we experience now with social media, under the yoke of a new form of slavery, invisible chains stifling awareness, guiding us on predetermined paths controlled by artificial intelligence algorithms. Have we become the new slaves foreseen by Al-Hakim?

In closing, American physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, "In the era we live in now, ignorance has become a choice."

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