The national arena, now greatly enlarged by social media, is a vast marketplace where people try to sell their dreams and attract adherents.

Its hubbub surpasses anything seen at the weekly town marketplace or monti, as sellers shout to drown out their competitors and pull in the punters.

Ever since the rise of social media, it has become increasingly and irresistibly fascinating.

One must remember that just a few years ago we only had television and the papers to tell us what was going on in Malta and beyond its shores. We now have multiple news sources reporting in real-time. Long gone are the days of waiting for the evening news or the next day’s paper.

But it is not just what has happened that is instantly broadcast. Joe Public is now treated to innumerable interpretations, all intended to fit a particular narrative or agenda.

This vast marketplace is also replete with the hopes and fears of many people — of all of us – creating a higher level of awareness which then serves as the basis of our judgments and opinions. The sum of all these divergent — and often contradictory — views forms what we call public opinion.

At any given time, the sum total of these opinions is a snapshot of what the public feels and says.

Until recently, public opinion in Malta was formed of two massive, opposing masses. Sandwiched in the middle was a small — but growing — segment of people holding alternative views or no view at all.

Lately, however, another segment has emerged, which is trying hard to mediate between the two opposing factions to find a way forward as a nation. To my mind, President George Vella’s inaugural speech is one example of this new approach.

I question neither the goodwill that is the basis of such opinion nor the will to help our country overcome division and move forward. The same goes for talk of constitutional reform — on which discussions, albeit desultory, have been held between the parties — and the various concerns that are regularly aired, from the state of the environment and the construction industry, to migration, overcrowding, the rule of law and rampant corruption at every level of society.

One must not expect immediate results; there will be many defeats along the way. But at least one can acknowledge a realization that things can — and must — get better, and a willingness to act.

Ideally, a comprehensive plan should be drawn up to tackle such problems, but this is not always possible. A while back, we may have thought that a change in government would be the solution to all our problems. We now know, however, that this does not always have the desired effect.

It is important, therefore, to maintain this momentum amid the numerous distractions.

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