Friendly reminder in times of uncertainty and misinformation: anecdotes are not data. (good) data is carefully measured and collected information based on a range of subject-dependent factors, including, but not limited to, controlled variables, meta-analysis, and randomization outliers attempting to counter global consensus around this pandemic with amateur reporting or unverified sourcing are not collecting data.
Breaking news stories that only relay initial findings of an event are not collecting data. We have to be careful in our media consumption it can be difficult to know what to believe in a time when institutional trust is diminished and the gatekeepers of information have been dismantled, but it's more crucial now than ever before to follow a range of credentialed sources for both breaking news and data collection. All we currently have are limited and evolving metrics that experts are deciphering and acting upon immediately to the best of their ability.
This terrain leaves many openings for opportunists and charismatic manipulators to lead people astray by exploiting what they want to hear. Breaking news and storytelling will always be spun with interpretive bias from different media perspectives, but data is a science that can't be replaced by one-off anecdotes. Try to remember this to avoid fear-based sensationalism or conspiracy theories taking over your mind.
You can maintain independent, critical thinking toward institutions without dipping into fringe conspiracies that get jumpstarted by individual anecdotes being virally spread as data. It's not easy, but it's necessary to keep any semblance of responsible online information flow.
Breaking news stories that only relay initial findings of an event are not collecting data. We have to be careful in our media consumption it can be difficult to know what to believe in a time when institutional trust is diminished and the gatekeepers of information have been dismantled, but it's more crucial now than ever before to follow a range of credentialed sources for both breaking news and data collection. All we currently have are limited and evolving metrics that experts are deciphering and acting upon immediately to the best of their ability.
This terrain leaves many openings for opportunists and charismatic manipulators to lead people astray by exploiting what they want to hear. Breaking news and storytelling will always be spun with interpretive bias from different media perspectives, but data is a science that can't be replaced by one-off anecdotes. Try to remember this to avoid fear-based sensationalism or conspiracy theories taking over your mind.
You can maintain independent, critical thinking toward institutions without dipping into fringe conspiracies that get jumpstarted by individual anecdotes being virally spread as data. It's not easy, but it's necessary to keep any semblance of responsible online information flow.