Too Venal for Words category archive
The Misinformation Superhighway 0
After drawing a distinction between misinformation and disinformation, Aditi Subramaniam offers some reasons as to why we are susceptible to misinformation (think the clickbait headlines that Snopes is so fond of debunking) and some techniques for dealing with it.
She starts by telling a story of her own trip down the rabbit hole of a clickbait headline (follow the link below to see what she discovered about said headline and its tenuous connection to facts, as well as for some hints to help avoid falling down your own rabbit holes). Here’s a bit of her article.
Freedom of Screech 0
One more time, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.
A Tune for the Times 0
Just when you think it can’t get any more venal and stupid, it does.
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
A federal judge considers the criteria for clemency from the current federal executive.
Details at the link
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
Arash Javanbakht, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, explores how “social” media’s algorithms, designed to keep us eternally engaged in ephemera, lead us down the disinformation superhighway. A nugget:
As a result, the algorithms amplify the negative and then spread it by sharing it among groups.
Lowering the Barr 0
Better Call Saul wouldn’t have dared to come up with a plot line like this.
Sacrificial Lambs 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Jim Jones explains.