What’s the difference between Mr. Information and Ms. Information? Misinformation is a very bad thing (ba-dum-tsh)
I know I’ve already written on this subject before (See The Age of Misinformation) but there is a still more important conclusion that I have reached. (Thanks to Michael Crichton) The conclusion is that when people do not check the information they receive these people are more easily manipulated. Many of the latest issues affecting the world were fraught with misinformation or misleading figures. Keep in mind that the competent manipulation of any set of figures can be used to prove any point, and not only that but bias is just as likely to prejudice the facts. People who go in believing one thing are more likely to prove what they believe in. They will often adjust factors and make excuses for other figures that don’t add up to support their opinion. How much room for bias is there? Take a look at Wikipedia’s list of possible ways Experimenter’s Bias can occur (here). That’s 56 different classifications of bias in 6 categories. If you haven’t clicked the link yet, I could tell you that that’s an average of 9 or 10 classifications for each category. This is certainly true but it is also misleading. Almost half (22) of them are in the second category which is selecting and specifying the study sample. I should also point out that this bias applies more often in the sociological and medical studies according to good old wiki. This makes sense because people are biased and they might choose people who might be in their study. The bias listed in that category can generally by averted by use of a double blind study. If you don’t actually know what that is, wiki is here (Double-blind_trials). It’s a good standard to follow but typically only eliminates certain human aspects of bias.
There are still studies that openly contradict each other with figures that don’t always align. So who has time for all the research to determine which studies are more reputable, which ones are based on more solid evidence? Or all the database access for that matter? I find that sometimes as with Marijuana debates there is such a huge socio political aspect that the figures become indiscernible. With respect to such issues which are at the core of people’s beliefs and behaviour, the only thing you can trust is the figures. A questionnaire study I did at a highschool level (and which is therefore reasonably unreliable) supported other, more reliable studies that showed many people had very strong opinions about abortion with a significant number changing political parties and religious denominations based on the views supported by those organizations – all without having looked into how a human fetus develops! If you go up to a stranger on the street and ask them what their opinion on abortion is, they will (be uncomfortable if they’re the shyer type) and often give you a firmly believed opinion on whether it is right or wrong. If you ask the same person at which point the fetus has a heart, brain activity, the ability to feel pain, or actually looks like a human infant the vast majority won’t be able to answer any of those questions. These issues are clouded by confirmation bias or the belief that humans like to select information that supports their view. This is further clouded by cognitive dissonance – the unease you feel when you hold two contradicting beliefs. The classic example being someone who smokes marijuana is not inclined to believe it’s bad for their health and when confronted with information to the contrary will try to mitigate the dangers.
More often than not, an argument is won by the better speaker, not the more logical individual. So beware when confronted with the latest trending idea (Y2K, killerbees, global warming?). Often these are political tools and make use of the media. People become interested and a human habit I’ve noticed is to throw the most shocking figures and most abstract and possibly over extended figures at you. It is suggested that cults and other religious organizations/ publications were/ are political/ economic manipulation. (Scientology, The Divine Comedy, Mormonism, and just to be even more controversial, Christianity in general) In any case, if you are unsure of whether or not you are being misinformed, and lack the time/ skills to research the issue, check out snopes.com or other skeptic run websites and ask their opinion. Expert opinions are great if you can get them but often these issues are much more complex than they’re made out to be. The more you look into science behind issues like global warming the more you realize there is a lot of not-knowing going on.
n, -kad-ee-, sur-kuh-dee-uh