To wonder why a person who claims they have done 'extensive research'...

[Newrunner29]

...belives they are as knowledgeable as someone who has dedicated their career and have the relevant professional qualifications in a subject? It really fustrates me and makes me concerned for future.
I see on the Internet all the time this 'extensive research' line and think, what makes u more knowledgeable and also the line could literally mean anything.

I found this twitter feed which is loosely linked, even when confronted this person continues to spead misinformation. i would love to know why?
I would say there is a level of arrogance to it to.

I would say there is a level of arrogance to it

Definitely. Most people now think that their opinion matters. Not just that they’re entitled to an opinion - but that they’re entitled to it being heard/respected somehow. And it’s dangerous.

(I have to say the BBC et al do not help with this. They have (in my opinion 🤣) a very skewed view of what “balance” is. Putting up a Nobel prize winning scientist up against John from the Red Lion and claiming “opinions vary” is not helpful….)

I guess another thing thats changed is this whole there are now sides to a fact. So the sky is blue , before facts were just out there , noone argued for or against, they were just observed. People may not have liked the sky being blue but they would accepted the fact. (Like we should need to accept a fact! ) I feel like now everything is up for debate. Facts are now somehow allowed to be opnions. Its very dangerous for our society. The words agenda and bias gets thrown around all the time. I guess social media and people choosing their news now by who they follow , crazy times

Social media is not always the home of intelligent debate...

Great exchange you’ve posted there!
I love Kate’s sudden coyness. Too many qualification for the Twitter max eh? Couldn’t cherry pick the top five? She obviously assumed she was talking to another her and had dealt a death blow.

I agree there is too much airtime given to the (low cost as no fee) man-in-the-street. On Radio 4 a bloke was asked about climate change and was clearly struggling so the interviewer prompted with whether he thought we should reduce or stop carbon burning; clearly relieved at having something he knew and could answer, the bloke shot back “I don’t burn carbon”

I wish more people did their own research and made their own decisions rather than just accepting what they're told as fact. I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. I think we train people from a young age to not challenge authority and it worries me.

Tbf that person says their qualifications are too numerous to list...so I mean, there's a teeny chance they have two degrees, one being medicine and one being natural sciences with a heavy dose of virology and the human immune system, plus a masters in politics and governance with a focus on public health. Probably not though

Why people think they know more than doctors when it comes to medicine is a complicated question. Occasionally they do! One of my siblings and both of my parents were doctors and nurses. The younger doctor always says people ask her for a diagnosis or a comment thinking he knows EVERYTHING and he always says to me that doctors are just human and not all knowing. They can do a lot, but clearly they aren't perfect.

Why people think they know more about the vaccine program / mask wearing and covid restriction in particular is a weird one. Because they aren't saying they know more than one doctor, (it's possible that a patient might know more about their own rare condition than one particular doctor for example). But these people are saying they know more than huge numbers of doctors, scientists and other experts. Also, I honestly think mental health is a factor or possible personality disorders. Narcissistic behaviour, (I know more than anyone else about this) or anxiety (I'm so scared of dying after vaccination).

I think there's more far too much challenging of people who know far more, often those in authority because they've earned that right with their knowledge (although of not always!), by people who know bugger all on a subject but just like the sound of their own choices.

@Cuddlyrottweiler

I wish more people did their own research and made their own decisions rather than just accepting what they're told as fact. I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. I think we train people from a young age to not challenge authority and it worries me.

'Just accepting what they're told as fact' This is my point. Surely we need facts to be accepted! And not everyone who speaks are telling facts. They might believe they are but doesnt mean they are. And now with social media literacy anyone can say anything and claim it as fact, so dangerous!

@Briony123

Social media is not always the home of intelligent debate...

This.

Intelligent, knowledgeable, trained individuals do attempt to correct the rubbish they spout but the stupid continue spreading misinformation.
I don't understand why people follow or listen to people on tik tok, YouTube etc and yet ignore medical experts trained in that field. They have bought into the whole conspiracy shit and often so far down the rabbit hole, maybe poor mental health or low intelligence or something lacking (critical thinking skills)...

@Cuddlyrottweiler

I wish more people did their own research and made their own decisions rather than just accepting what they're told as fact. I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. I think we train people from a young age to not challenge authority and it worries me.

Spot on, I totally agree. 👏👏

Him not her*

And its not aboit being above them, its about someone spending years and years in this field and the other person having no experience just what they have read on the Internet regardless of the actuatecy (bad spelling)

@Cuddlyrottweiler

I wish more people did their own research and made their own decisions rather than just accepting what they're told as fact. I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. I think we train people from a young age to not challenge authority and it worries me.

For a lot of people, it's not possible for them to do their own research. They aren't capable of understanding complex scientific literature as they don't have the background knowledge and understanding, their lack of scientific vocabulary means they would need to put in a significant amount of time to understand individual papers, where they would still lack the background knowledge to know how to critically analyse the paper, check for biases and poor experimental design, as well as where it fits into the general scientific consensus. The average person needs to read about scientific research in layman's terms, where inevitably it can be misinterpreted and misconstrued.

Sometimes (not necessarily in this case) a patient who has carries out extensive research on their condition may well know a lot more than their GP. Look at all the women who are give poor advice about the menopause. Carrying out research is a good thing.

@Cuddlyrottweiler

I wish more people did their own research and made their own decisions rather than just accepting what they're told as fact. I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. I think we train people from a young age to not challenge authority and it worries me.

Do you actually mean real research or flicking through social media listening to dissenting opinions against virologist, epidemiologists, doctors etc. 🤔

"I don't like how easily people accept what they're told and obey people they've been told are above them. "

It's not about being above someone, it's about qualifications, experience and knowledge. If any of us contracted HIV, we wouldn't ignore the consultant. Those same consultants and immunologists are developing treatments against Covid, why suddenly don't we trust them? Likewise vets, mortgage advisors etc, we go to them for good reason. Most people have never thought about health, infectious diseases and medication before. A tiny bit if proper research, critical thinking would point them in the right direction. Lots of people already wore masks all day long. None of them were suffering from respiratory diseases or dropping through a lack of oxygen.

*literally

I love that Twitter exchange!

The problem isn’t people blindly obeying. The problem is people being arrogant enough to accept their research on Twitter supersedes empirical scientific study.

@VioletCharlotte, GPs are gatekeepers of services. You might know more than your GP, but won't know more than your consultant. It's the very top specialists that these people are arguing with.
All the 'do you know what's in the vaccine' statements really pissed me off. We don't know what's in most of our commonly used drugs, or previously some foods. When it's said by people who take recreational drugs and go for dodgy cosmetic treatments, it's even more ludicrous.

But you don’t need qualifications to do your own research. What a cop out! I don’t need qualifications to research car safety. I don’t need to run my own crash test dummy trials or be a qualified engineer. I need to read the “research” that has already been done and THAT is my research. That’s what most research is! I work in a Uni research centre where academics do research which mainly involves reading results of trials and other people’s research papers and making their own conclusions, or analysing data from other people’s studies They don’t run the trials themselves but it doesn’t make them not researchers! I have a degree in statistics and policy analysis. I my doesn’t make me more or less of a researcher than someone who studied medicine or politics. Research isn’t a particular science! Anyone can do research. It is gathering data and information and making conclusions.

See also legal advice on social media. Sometimes it's really scary how people are willing to advise others on the basis of no knowledge at all - if people followed the advice they could lose out on their rights or get into serious trouble.

Extensive research usually means ‘googling’ something.

It’s asinine not to accept facts. You can question the interpretation of facts but by definition facts are accurate.

Doing research is a skill that in itself takes years of training to master. It frightens me that people think googling is research.

@Newrunner29

'Just accepting what they're told as fact'
This is my point. Surely we need facts to be accepted! And not everyone who speaks are telling facts. They might believe they are but doesnt mean they are. And now with social media literacy anyone can say anything and claim it as fact, so dangerous!

Even among experts, opinions differ. What's wrong with being willing to think critically and engage with the debate? I'm not suggesting that the person in your image is a good example of that, but still.

I love twitter sometimes...

And looking at twitter isn’t ‘research’ in any sense of the word...