Information Chaos

It was five years ago during the pandemic that I quit Facebook. I didn't like the tsunami of nonsense being posted, like "Covid 19 is no worse than a bad cold". WHO describes such memes as an infodemic that put people in hospital and resulted in hundreds of unnecessary deaths. My response to misinformation was to check the facts and warn my friends with more reliable information. 

I recall that one tender soul was offended and accused me of starting an argument. Science is not an argument. Science, when done right, identifies the source, provides an estimate of uncertainty, and welcomes rational challenges based on evidence, because progress is expected. Opinions, on the other hand, lose track of the source, claim certainty, and answer unbelievers with insults and accusations. Generally, the dialogue on Facebook was unproductive. I didn't change my mind, and they didn't change theirs. It was noise, a waste of time and angst, the reason I am blogging instead.

My next book to read, already purchased and waiting in my Kobo queue, is "The Certainty Illusion: what you don't know and why it matters" by Timothy Caulfield. "It will vaccinate you against misinformation." There was a recent interview with the author on The Agenda: The hidden danger of information chaos. 

I will get to that book soon. Just now, recalling that even good information can be suppressed or misused, I continue reading Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" in which she blew the whistle on applied-science-for-profit at the expense of health-of-the-planet. I suspect we are still at it and should pay attention before there is nothing left to hear and nobody to listen.

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Zombie Facts: CBC News, Jan 11, 2025

Fact Checking Has Become Partisan: CBC News, Jan 11, 2025

Oil and Gas Industry Misinformation: David Suzuki Foundation

Leaving is Hard: Gretta Vosper