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One thing that surprised me about this pandemic is how vulnerable people are to misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media. For many people their id
by flocial 6y ago
One thing that surprised me about this pandemic is how vulnerable people are to misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media. For many people their idea of authority or "credentials" directly correlate with the strength of the source's social media profile (much like the impact factor of peer-reviewed articles only it feeds on itself). I don't know if they are simply looking for a theory to fit their current preconceptions or information that affirms their sense of self but it's really phenomenal. I honestly had no idea how many people I know could take these crazy conspiracies so seriously.
- sgt101 6y agoIt's worse than you think. A lot of the people you know are taking lunatic theories seriously and not letting on because they have learned to self sensor their opinions.
- zahma 6y agoWhat are you on about? While I don't really disagree with what you wrote, this article and interview has nothing to do conspiracy theories and their propagation through social media.
- flocial 6y agoGuilty as charged but I thought it was a reasonable jump to speculate on how there might be a cumulative effect of being in the "shallows" where critical thinking skills are atrophied and people are susceptible to misinformation. I did read the article but I was under the impression that HN doesn't restrict comments to the specifics of the article.
- zahma 6y agoYou could have bothered to include what you wrote above. At first glance, it looks like an unrelated and low-effort post. I was under the impression that the point of HN's comment section is informed contributions, which is what separates this place from Reddit's shitposting.