[flocial]

One thing that surprised me about this pandemic is how vulnerable people are to misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media. For many people their idea of authority or "credentials" directly correlate with the strength of the source's social media profile (much like the impact factor of peer-reviewed articles only it feeds on itself). I don't know if they are simply looking for a theory to fit their current preconceptions or information that affirms their sense of self but it's really phenomenal. I honestly had no idea how many people I know could take these crazy conspiracies so seriously.

[sgt101]

It's worse than you think. A lot of the people you know are taking lunatic theories seriously and not letting on because they have learned to self sensor their opinions.

[zahma]

What are you on about? While I don't really disagree with what you wrote, this article and interview has nothing to do conspiracy theories and their propagation through social media.

[flocial]

Guilty as charged but I thought it was a reasonable jump to speculate on how there might be a cumulative effect of being in the "shallows" where critical thinking skills are atrophied and people are susceptible to misinformation. I did read the article but I was under the impression that HN doesn't restrict comments to the specifics of the article.