Profile picture
, 5 tweets, 2 min read
My Authors
Read all threads
New from me:

'What are we doing this for?': Doctors are fed up with conspiracies ravaging ERs

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
I think a lot of people presume that there is no real human cost to pushing lies about Bill Gates and 5G.

But I talked to doctors who are feeling the real-world impact of algorithmically preferred lies that Facebook, YouTube and Twitter won't stop.

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
After a shift treating COVID patients, Dr. Hadi Halazun went on Facebook to see a man telling him that “no one’s dying” and the "hospitals are empty."

One tried to prove he wasn't a real doctor by trawling through his pictures and posting concert photos.

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
After reading people on Facebook claiming COVID is a hoax and that he was in on it, Dr. Halazun went outside during the 7 p.m. cheer and began to question himself.

“I just started crying." he said.

"I felt like, ‘What are we doing this for?’”

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Dr. Duncan Maru has seen people come into the ER far too late, thinking they couldn't get COVID.

He said someone who drank bleach was in his emergency room last week.

“In the COVID case, (social media companies) truly have blood on their hands," he said.
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Enjoying this thread?

Keep Current with Ben Collins

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @oneunderscore__ see all

Profile picture
Ben Collins
@oneunderscore__
1 / A lot of people ask me about Bill Gates, 5G, and QAnon conspiracy theorists: how can people believe this stuff?

I asked the best conspiracy theory expert I know, Pitzer College professor Brian Keeley, how people can believe such sensational lies.

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
2 / In times of crisis, some people cling to the comfort of far-fetched — ultimately simple — answers for complex problems.

That means mortal, recognizable boogeymen.

Know how nice it would feel if COVID went away — if we only we could beat one bad guy?

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
3 / “People are looking for these kinds of explanations to control something in their lives," Keeley told me.

Blaming Bill Gates or 5G gives conspiracy theorists hope, agency, power in a time of chaos.

In reality, they're a scapegoat for an act of God.
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Read 6 tweets
Profile picture
Ben Collins
@oneunderscore__
I keep thinking about people going down YouTube rabbitholes because of quarantine, and how notorious disinformation peddlers have been waiting for this moment for their whole lives, and how these two things together might create a potentially unprecedented mental health problem.
I have a story coming today about probably the most vicious real-world effects of this phenomenon, but I think we're at the very beginning of a sad and supercharged case of mainstreamed anti-science and anti-government extremists, fueled largely by Satanic Panic.
When reality is too dark, and there are no easy answers or even rewarding mythology to assuage fears, people historically resort to dark mythology. Blaming witches, Satan, new technology.

It's nothing new — but algorithm-driven rabbit holes that make extremism lucrative are.
Read 4 tweets
Profile picture
Ben Collins
@oneunderscore__
New from me: Did you get a text from a friend who has a “close friend with incredibly reliable information,” “a source who works for DHS” or "the mayor's office" warning of martial law?

It isn't true—but academics are warning against "hidden viral" texts.
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
"Hidden viral" texts are ones with massive reach via text message that are impossible to quantify, since they're privately to small groups, like chain letters.

They're even more effective, because they're sent from a friend with an emotional appeal.

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Don't shame friends family members for sending along these plausible (but wrong) texts that claim to be from "a friend's dad in the secret service" in a time of great uncertainty.

It's human.

Just check the news first before you send them along.

nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Read 5 tweets

Embed code for your website

×
Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!