the spread of misinformation, kneejerk calls for "critical thinking" (boost with CW)
Thread by @Nezchan
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https://wandering.shop/@Nezchan/102083313298223817
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Gotta just take a moment to say people who respond to the fact that fake news, propaganda, and stuff like antivax movements are so prevalent with "kids aren't learning critical thinking" are the worst.
I can't get on board with blaming people for not "critically thinking" hard enough. Being suspicious of ALL your media, even (or sometimes especially) when it comes from sources that are otherwise trustworthy, is difficult and tiring. It's hard to keep up all the time.
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https://wandering.shop/@Nezchan/102083323166984221
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Vigilance takes energy. Checking sources takes energy. Making sure people you trust don't have blind spots of their own that let things through takes time and effort. Not everyone has the resources for all that, plus running their daily lives as well.
So yeah, they're gonna fall for shit. I am too. So are you. It's fine to acknowlege that and have strategies to deal with it. But simply saying "critical think harder" isn't a strategy.
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https://wandering.shop/@Nezchan/102083330623939787
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It's also a largely meaningless catch phrase while I'm at it.
What is this cure-all "critical thinking" anyway? How do you teach it? Who's a good enough Critical Thinker to pass that skill to others? How does this fit in with theories of pedagogy, considering it's always suggested that it's something teachers should do.
I doubt even 1% of people who push "critical thinking" even think aobut the mechanics of doing it or what that would look like, or even what's being done already.
the spread of misinformation, kneejerk calls for "critical thinking" (boost with CW)
@packbat @troodon The closest I’ve come to an inference model anyone with a computer can use, as a professional in this field:
1. Select a classifier (I use naive Bayes)
2. Weight sources by how well they predict observable reality over time
3. Prune low-quality sources
That social media doesn’t do this should be a clue whose horse they’re backing.
re: the spread of misinformation, kneejerk calls for "critical thinking" (boost with CW)
@packbat @troodon Good praxis is helping your friends make computers make good decisions for them, so they don't need to burn energy or trust corporations. But I wish I knew how that can be made accessible.