After the internet went wild with conspiracy theories about Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine (aka Kate Middleton), the Princess of Wales, stepping back from her public duties for a few months, the Royal Family has now released a statement about her health.
This was none of our business. So why was the internet so obsessed with #KateGate ?
Swipe through for just some of the key reasons why Princess Catherine’s absence captivated our conspiratorial minds.
Have you ever noticed the use of percentages in health product advertisements? They’re useful tools for expressing the change between two numbers, but without context, they’re meaningless and can be misleading.
Make sure you see the big picture!
Thank you to @figures.first for this great collaborative post!
This tactic aims to make the ‘hero’ appear more trustworthy than institutional authorities and mainstream media. This narrative works like this (1,2):
Claims the world is controlled by biased and corrupt elites.
“Exposes” said corruption by cherry-picking information and using anecdotal evidence to seem more relatable.
Presents themselves as the hero who bravely reveals hidden truths, implying that those who trust institutional authorities are merely “sheep” following blindly.
Claims they are being censored and persecuted for telling you the truth.
Rallies followers in the name of freedom and justice.
By posing as the censored hero that is risking it all in the name of the truth, justice and freedom, they create a common enemy (e.g. mainstream media), and build a community of followers ready to defend the same goal (1,3). They also profit from spreading misinformation (2,4).
Talking about polarizing topics, whether it’s with friends and family, or strangers on the internet, can be particularly difficult. People can react adversely, get even more closed-up, become aggressive, and the conversation can quickly devolve.
Here are a few tips to help you get through these difficult discussions.
There are also resources available across the country to tackle radicalization in friends and family members. Check out our references (38).
Discussing polarizing topics can be difficult. Regardless of who the conversation is with, it’s better for everyone if it goes positively. Even if you can't see eye to eye.
While causation and correlation can exist at the same time, the two events are often unrelated. Even if the rooster does not crow, the sun will still come up.
Here is a COVID-19 example of the causal fallacy.
Misinformer: “My cousin got the vaccine and one month later had a heart attack. The shot caused him to have a heart attack!”
Thanks to Jordan Collver for collaborating with us on this post. Jordan is an illustrator and science communicator specializing in using the visual and narrative power of comics to explore themes of science, nature, and belief.
We’re working on a series of misinformer tactics with Jordan so stay tuned for more.
Can you tell different types of problematic information apart?
We often use ‘misinformation’ as an umbrella term for any false content online, but sometimes more specific language can help clear up confusion. So here’s your vocab lesson!
Misinformation: False information spread unintentionally. Disinformation: False information spread intentionally. Malinformation: True information spread intentionally in a way meant to cause harm.
Share our original Tweet!
Misinformation can be a useful umbrella term, but sometimes more specific language is needed. Read more about • Misinformation • Disinformation • Malinformation And learn to spot the difference! 👇https://t.co/br1ZffLu54#ScienceUpFirstpic.twitter.com/6Y5QqsJQe1
— ScienceUpFirst | LaScienced’Abord (@ScienceUpFirst) January 10, 2024
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is one of the hardest things we can do. Good science communicators think about a topic from their audience’s perspective. Once we put ourselves in that frame of mind, real conversations become much easier.
Today’s artwork is brought to you by the uber-talented Ameesha Lee from Ontario! ⭐ ️
This illustration was inspired by the science of brain cells called mirror neurons. These create an echo of another person’s emotions in our own minds. Rad!
Ameesha Lee is an art director & illustrator who has worked in the broadcast & design industry for over 15 years. Using hand drawn and digital techniques, she loves collaborating with other inspiring creatives to produce beautiful and meaningful work, both static and in motion.
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is one of the hardest things we can do. 👟 Good science communicators think about a topic from their audience’s perspective.
Just because a story is repeated does not make it true.
Firehose of falsehood, or firehosing, is a propaganda technique that aims to confuse and overwhelm the audience with continuous, rapid, and repetitive messaging over multiple platforms. The messaging is often false, or composed of half-truths and lacks consistency and objectivity (1).
This tactic is used by Russian president Vladimir Putin (1), the former U.S. president Donald Trump (2), but also by anti-vaccine groups to spread misinformation about vaccines (3).
It works because it uses a number of varied sources to spread its lies (4,5), as well as tapping into our needs for conformity (6). When you see something being shared by multiple sources, you are more likely to think it is true (1). With firehosing, the lies don’t even have to be believable because the goal is not to persuade, but to bombard people with so much information they become too overwhelmed to fact-check everything (3).
The best way to counter-attack firehosing is to be aware of the tactic (3), keep reporting false content to disrupt the disinformation’s flow (3), and share evidence-based information instead of getting into comment wars refuting misinformation (1).
Always check the source of information before you share it. A common method you can use to verify sources is called the CRAAP method. It helps you spot CR… bad information.
Currency: How recent is it? For example, during a crisis, you want information that’s as up-to-date as possible.
Relevance: Is it written at the right level for the audience? Is it really about the topic, or something else?
Authority: Who wrote it? Are they qualified to speak on this topic?
Accuracy: Is it true? Can you find evidence for the claims in other reputable sources?
Purpose: Why was it written? Did the author have biases you should consider?
When you come across what might be bunk science… put it through the CRAAP test.
Share our original Tweet!
Remember: Check the source of information before you share it.
Just because something is on the internet, doesn’t make it true.
A recent study found 80% of participants cared about sharing only accurate content online. And yet a lot of misinformation is out there!
The solution? A simple nudge to think about accuracy could help stop the spread.
In the same study, participants split into two groups.
Group 1 answered how likely they were to share 24 different news headlines on Facebook. This was the control group.
Group 2 rated the accuracy of a single headline. Then they were asked the same question as Group 1, how likely they were to share 24 different headlines. This was the treatment group.
Researchers found that Group 2 shared way less fake news than Group 1.
So the next time you are about to repost a juicy story, ask yourself, “is this accurate?” before you share.
Share our original Tweet!
Most people don’t WANT to share false information. By taking a moment to reflect on whether something is accurate, we can reduce how much misinformation we spread.
So, before clicking that share button, just think!
Chances are someone you care about has been affected by breast cancer – it’s one of the leading causes of death from cancer for women across Canada (13).
But early diagnosis is the key to recovery, which starts with awareness. Let’s start by getting our facts right by debunking some myths about breast cancer.
We’re working on a video on how to perform a self-exam. We’ll include why this useful tool has its limitations. Stay tuned!
Share our original Tweet!
Chances are someone you care about has been affected by breast cancer.
Family dinners can be scary, but they don’t have to be. If you find yourself in a tense conversation over the holidays here are a few tips that might help you navigate it a little easier.
It’s important not to shame the person. Ideally, you want to have a conversation, actively listening to each other and trying to find some common ground.
Be empathetic, it’s a vulnerable thing to have your values questioned and it can make people defensive.
Pick your battles, not every situation is ideal for talking things through and sometimes it’s better to just change the subject. It may be best to wait for a moment when you can talk to the person alone, without distractions. This might also help make them feel less “on the spot”.
If the conversation goes well, feel free to ask if you can share some credible information with them. It’s important to ask their permission first.
Lead with your relationship and be patient. This is someone you care about even if you can’t manage to see eye to eye. Change doesn’t happen in an instant.
View our original Tweet!
Family dinners can be scary, but they don’t have to be.#ScienceUpFirst
