I now write at https://www.conspicuouscognition.com/:

Lots of people are angry about Big Disinfo, a class of experts, policymakers, and institutions focused on combating dis/misinformation that rose to prominence in Western, democratic societies around 2016. There are multiple reasons for this anger, but I think one important source of frustration concerns the difference between (i) participating in the public sphere and … Continue reading Why do lots of people hate the disinformation industrial complex?

As a human being, you are inevitably fallible, biased, ignorant, and self-serving. It is highly likely that most of what you think and say is at best partial and misleading. Much is outright mistaken. Does this mean that you shouldn’t contribute to public debate? Some thoughts: In recent weeks, I have published a few pieces … Continue reading Poisoning, polluting, and contributing to the epistemic commons: The ethics of public debate

A few months ago, I published a review of Sander van der Linden’s book Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity. In the book, van der Linden argues for two main ideas: that misinformation is a contagious virus that infects people’s minds, causing them to form false beliefs and make bad … Continue reading Misinformation is not a virus, and you cannot be vaccinated against it

------ According to this thread, anyone who is sceptical that emotionality (the tendency to evoke emotions) is a fingerprint of misinformation is simply ignorant of scientific consensus on the topic. I disagree and would like to explain why. First, it's important to be clear about which claim is being evaluated. If emotionality is a fingerprint … Continue reading Is emotionality a fingerprint of misinformation?