(2/9)
Here are “Lindsey’s Laws” for news diligence:
🔬 Demand extraordinary vetting for extraordinary claims; ⚖️ Proactively seek out competing views;
📣Amplify good information, and cut off the oxygen to the toxic stuff.
Explanations of each of these below
(3/9)
First: In the words of the late, great astronomer Carl Sagan “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” If a finding is way out of the mainstream and/or sounds too good/bad to be true, make sure that the corroborating evidence is air tight and replicated.
(4/9)
Indeed, REPLICATION IS THE HEART OF GOOD SCIENCE and we scientists demand lots of it before a finding becomes widely accepted.
(5/9)
Second: Another key tenet of science is ACTIVELY SEEKING OUT ALTERNATE HYPOTHESES that can refute or “falsify” our research.
Abraham Lincoln was another advocate for this approach, famously assembling a “team of rivals” to ensure he was hearing competing viewpoints.
(6/9)
Third: The best defense against misinformation is a good offense – specifically, it’s better to FOCUS ON AMPLIFYING THE GOOD info than tearing down the bad.
Pushing out the good stuff improves the information ecosystem...
(7/9)
Overly focusing on the bad (even in the spirit of rebuttal!) can inadvertently have a “backfire effect:” keeping it in the news cycle.
FULL DISCLOSURE: the “backfire effect” has NOT been universally replicated (see #1) as the article below discusses
(8/9)
Finally – and this is the real key – always lead with kindness and empathy when engaging with your personal connections around divisive topics.
Social Media’s strength lies in its unique ability to harness the power of personal connection. 💞
(9/9)
As this article articulates, social media outlets like @Facebook are still trying to figure this all out.
In the meantime, we can each make sure to use The Force for good!!!
Read the full article from @statnews here: statnews.com/2020/05/01/fac…
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1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.
3/ ➡️ During the Omicron wave from December 2021-February 2022, this estimate increased from 33% to 58%.
➡️ Rates vary a lot by age, ranging from 33.2% for those over age 65 to 75% for those under age 18.
2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.
3/ Many families w/ young kids have been hunkered down for the better part of 2 years– a good % of a young child’s entire life. While isolation had *many* downsides, we can agree that not having to suction snot out of infant noses or clean up norovirus puke was a happy upside.
1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?
A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).
2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.
3/ Burning fast could be a silver lining of super transmissible #Omicron. Cases rose & fell quickly in S. Africa (w/ hospitalizations & deaths still lagging). The UK appears to have turned the Omicron corner. Many US states appear past their peak in cases, w/ regional variation:
Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.
3/ Health care is under extreme pressure with surging cases. If you can avoid even one additional contact, you are helping. This is a temporary and urgent request (from a health care provider).