Thread by @usnehal

"As QAnon influencers and their followers are pushed off mainstream platforms.... There, they may be exposed to more extremist content, like that of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups."

So what is the right approach? No right answers.

npr.org/2021/01/31/962…

..soooo.. usually seek facts & ideas ...rather than go down rabbit holes of others’ 🤯

..but wow, some remaining QAnon-posting accounts are within 1-2 degrees of separation..

To FB’s credit, misinformation/disinformation posts get covered with a grey filter & this warning:

Since I am a Muslim woman on the highly armed alt right’s radar myself now

am curious to understand what kind of 👹 they perceive me to be - tho prefer to only a quick peek, not a deep dive

(Obviously @IlhanMN was not actually at any such training camp)

usatoday.com/story/news/fac…

Following people down their unhinged rabbit holes - the job of people who make the call when to put up the filter & message - takes a #mentalhealth toll.

This almost seems like saying water is wet, though. How wouldn’t one also become unhinged?

politico.eu/article/corona…

There is a lawsuit over this occupational hazard: “moderators would have panic attacks while still in training, traumatized by daily exposure to gore and other disturbing posts” #disinformation #misinformation #SoMe #communication #mentalhealth

theverge.com/interface/2020…

I saw these kinds of trends happening on #MedTwitter as well among a sizable fraction of people who were scouring #socialmedia for people saying/doing "wrong" things. This advice given but who is advising #STEM ppl how to manage any #mentalheath spin out?

nature.com/articles/d4158…

What do we do about ppl like this who work alongside us in hospitals, clinics? They have valid credentials & trusted. Whereas a lie about a hijab-wearing Congresswoman was shared on FB by a healthcare worker, this pharmacist's odd beliefs not a red flag:

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1356393665443352576?s=20

"Brandenburg told authorities the sky is a 'shield put up by the government to prevent individuals from seeing God.'

Officials from the hospital initially said they believed a human error led to more than 50 vials of the Moderna vaccine being removed from a freezer"

Assumed: 😇

We really should always start with an assumption of innocence...for EVERYONE. But the actual threats to our society & systems today look "mainstream" - half of America & some of our own #MedTwitter #healthcare colleagues have abandoned logic & #science.

https://twitter.com/MJGerson/status/1356359393546272769?s=20

I have to interrupt your doomscrolling this thread w/ a cute "flash mob" proposal tho. It's your #mentalhealth break from me. (It's a bit of a disappointing "mob" in size to tbh but sooooo cute/sweet). Sorry I'm a total sap & *love* these videos. 😍🥰❤️

One more: I just adore this one & it has real dancers at their own wedding. After this we can go back to doom & gloom conspiracies again & colleagues who may want to kill me.

A quick #mentalhealth break helps to stay grounded. It's a #pediatrician thing.

So why couldn't we spot people like that pharmacist? Look at what non-clinical #MedTwitter tends to police. Agree with all @GIMaPreceptor put in this thread. Was this communication over who gets to use "moral injury" worth blocking over? Why fragile egos?

https://twitter.com/GIMaPreceptor/status/1155446557212315648?s=20

This is not isolated. Inside hospitals & clinics, being a rational, factual pro-science person who verifies & validates, can put one at odds with some colleagues. I've personally experienced that. Some pro-science folks are leaving the U.S. entirely.

cnbc.com/2020/10/12/cor…

Sorry - bit of a jump between tweets

The point is:

the seemingly intellectual & rational get fixated on petty details like "no you can't use moral injury"

others are entirely anti-science & flat earth while working in #healthcare

This is not just about social media then

There are multiple social connection mechanisms apart from social media. My community's faith gatherings have been scrutinized & spied upon for decades. While 1st amendment is an essential right, there should be separation of church & state not this: rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…

This is level of spying that has occurred w/ tax dollars - to the point of sending undercover police on college white water rafting trips. What was safety & value delivered to the taxpayer while white domestic terrorism growing?

observer.com/2012/02/the-n-…

gothamist.com/news/nypd-spie…

UK takes it further to ask preschoolers to spy on toddlers at risk of becoming terrorists. But is this really the way we teach critical thinking? Isn't critical thinking that we need more of? What you see in the QAnon is not any single coherent ideology.

huffingtonpost.co.uk/dilly-hussain/…

*preschool teachers

Is religion really the issue?
Or is this inherent to human #brain for survival?
"..we are largely the descendants of humans who made false-positive errors; natural selection ensured this perpetuation"

@sciam #neuroscience

blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-curious-wa…

@nature suggest it is not about battle of facts vs #misinformation/#disinformation at all but #wellbeing & #mentalhealth

"Ideological convictions are a product of top-down cues from politicians and the media, and bottom-up psychological mechanisms."

nature.com/articles/d4158…

"..defensive about themselves..more likely..to embrace conspiracy theories, perhaps to deflect blame for their shortcomings..feelings of powerlessness, anxiety, isolation.. alienation.. feel..are insignificant cogs in the political machinery assume.. nefarious influences"

If this is correct #MedTwitter then most approaches to #SciComm are dead wrong, ineffective, a waste of time & effort.

Don't lead with "I am a scientist/expert" & pelt with facts from superior knowledge. Be a fellow "seeker" & ask questions.

news.tulane.edu/news/expert-be…

This aligns w/ FBI hostage negotiation assess motives to persuade via tactical empathy

That makes sense: if the drivers are alienation & powerlessness if groups offer belonging & meaning, then facts are not going to break that bond

Question, don't tell

blog.blackswanltd.com/the-edge/how-t…

This self identified counterterrorism expert commented (does she follow me or stalk me? LOL 🤷🏻‍♀️)
= an example of how NOT to do this

Look how quickly she lost her cool
+ ad hominem
over my disagreeing with & questioning her

Don’t try tactical empathy this way (transparently fake)

Compare that exchange to articles I just shared - do you see a “seeker”? No curiosity used in the exchange

Instead, felt like a know-it-all trying to tell me about my own religion, identity, community

That is also exactly how #SciComm fails as well

blog.blackswanltd.com/the-edge/are-y…

Tbh, I’ve faced off against enough lawyers in public hearing when I was a public official & their tactics
once I sense somebody is not engaging in good faith
is ego-driven
I sometimes get perverse pleasure from watching them squirm😈

In MBTI terms, tho am an NF, can switch to NT

In reality, though, this is me.
I know, I know, MBTI is hooey
But it aligns with Big 5 which is validated. So there😆

In actual performance, I make people feel good when negotiating with me while still getting a good deal

= tactical empathy
Persuasion
Effective #SciComm too

Example: multiple issues into one post. I gain respect by doing the activity (darn well), within my own safety standards. I then point out how the @AmerAcadPeds took on the NRA gag on #pediatrician. So I stay fully authentic & factual.
2.3K views

linkedin.com/posts/usnehal_…

Or this with 16.3K views, 32 comments, various reshares. I say pretty direct things about sexism on #LinkedIn. But like the flash mob tweets above, intersperse with fun, happy, inspiring posts that allow anyone to see their daughter, niece, grandchild

linkedin.com/posts/usnehal_…

That’s another missed opportunity in #SciComm to combat conspiracies: humor. If wellbeing helps reduce appeal of conspiracies then endorphin release has got to be worth trying. Obviously, one must use good judgment when employing humor or fun.

scicomm.plos.org/2017/11/15/hum…

Lighthearted humor can be 👍

Being snarky, condescending, dismissive, sarcastic, or ridiculing only reinforces the drivers discussed above. It is not tactical empathy and alienates those already feeling alienated.

Don’t do it in #scicomm wired.com/story/please-p…

There is a dearth of scientists on #LinkedIn and we need more #SciComm #science #communication there to #business decision makers.

These are my tips on the different cultures between #MedTwitter and @LinkedIn in a #podcast with @ETSshow

explorethespaceshow.com/podcasting/umb…

@threadreaderapp pls unroll