Thread by @danfalk

I’ve just tuned in! Very interesting so far! (Lee McIntyre is terrific!)

https://twitter.com/alexwitze/status/1466068032359321603

2/ Fascinating re the tobacco companies in the 1950s; @LeeCMcIntyre explains how they managed to convince journalists to tell “both sides” of the smoking-and-cancer “debate.”

3/ The scariest part of science denial is how it has spilled over into reality denial, says @LeeCMcIntyre.

4/ People will believe almost anything if their identity is at stake, @LeeCMcIntyre says.

5/ Many science deniers change their minds once they meet an actual scientist, says @LeeCMcIntyre

6/ Panel discussion just beginning: why and how mis- (and dis-) information spread. Moderated by science journalist @alexwitze

7/ Panel includes @surveyfunk, @STWorg, and Ziv Epstein. Current topic: the global spread of misinformation.

8/ It takes a lot of cognitive effort to change one’s mind about something (to un-believe something), says @STWorg

9/ We’re hard-wired to believe what we see and hear; very young children struggle with the idea of deception, says @STWorg (This partly explains why it’s hard to dis-lodge misinformation from our brains)

10/ Fascinating topic: can people be inoculated (so to speak) against misinformation? @STWorg discusses his research into this. (Oops should have been using the #scicomm tag all along)

11/ But it would be wrong to place the burden on the end-user: There are systemic / structural issues, and the tech companies have to be held accountable, says @STWorg .

12/ @STWorg recounts the tragic case from India, from a few years ago, when dozens were killed by lynch mobs due to misinformation spreading on WhatsApp. (cont’d)

12b/ The platform implemented a number of seemingly-small architectural changes, which made a huge difference. (At least, the mob killings stopped, thank goodness) (But still: yikes)

13/ In the old days (say, 150 years ago) if you believed something crazy, you would likely not meet anyone else who shared that belief. But thx to the Internet, you will now immediately meet 100 like-minded people, says @STWorg (and this will reinforce your belief)

14/ People’s beliefs are shaped in part by facts — but also by values and by emotions, says @surveyfunk (which is part of the reason that “piling on more facts” doesn’t always get you too far)

15/ “Don’t mistake your Twitter feed for reality.” — Great quote from @STWorg to end the panel discussion. (Also kudos to @alexwitze for moderating!) Event continues after a 15-min break…

16/ Next panel: “Misinformation’s impact on science and authority” w. @nabihasyed, @jevinwest, and @KatieLSanders. #science #scicomm

17/ Fascinating to hear @nabihasyed on the legal challenges of confronting purveyors of fake news (even “harmless” fake news) in the courts…

18/ Astounding evolution of the marketplace in recent years: Corporations can now “frictionlessly” reach out to millions of people who show an affinity for, say, this or that type of nonscientific belief, explains @nabihasyed #scicomm

19/ Yes, 1A — but listeners have rights too, @nabihasyed reminds us. Maybe something like the “fairness doctrine” needs to be resurrected — or something, so that consumers don’t drown in a sea of bogus “news.”

20/ Not an update per se, but holy heck I am blown away by the breadth and depth of the expertise on this panel! (@KatieLSanders, @nabihasyed, & @jevinwest) #scicomm

21/ It’s really east to spread BS, and *a lot* harder to clean it up — but we need to narrow the gap, says @jevinwest #scicomm

22/ @nabihasyed outlines the (many!) well-established limitations on free speech (in the U.S. context). The first amendment doesn’t mean that anyone can say anything anywhere anytime.

23/ “The future of media literacy is numeracy.” — @nabihasyed #scicomm

24/ @jevinwest on the paywall dilemma: Media outlets need revenues to exist; but if people turn to free “news” as an alternative, that can have repercussions. #science #journalism #scicomm

25/ @jevinwest: Often the goal of mis- (and dis-) informs campaigns is simply to erode trust in institutions. (And, unfortunately, it’s working.)

26/ Pause for “lunch.” Big thanks to @InstituteSciPol for organizing this; I’ll try to catch as much of the remainder as I can! (And thx to @alexwitze for mentioning it on Twitter!)

27/ Sadly my internet connection conked out during @Imi_Ahmed’s talk, but the parts that I caught were terrific. Anyway, that seems to wrap it up for today; kudos again to @InstituteSciPol!