This is super interesting, looking at treating misinformation like disease

'When people gather in groups, bizarre behaviors often emerge': How the rise of online social networks has catapulted dysfunctional thinking

https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/when-people-gather-in-groups-bizarre-behaviors-often-emerge-how-the-rise-of-online-social-networks-has-catapulted-dysfunctional-thinking-opinion

'When people gather in groups, bizarre behaviors often emerge': How the rise of online social networks has catapulted dysfunctional thinking

The pervasive spread of misinformation can be tracked to cognitive limitations, social influence and the global spread of online networks. Combatting it has become an "arms race" between truth and lies.

Live Science

@TheBreadmonkey
Basically what the study of memetics has been doing for a while now. Ideas can "infect" people just like viruses, and the most successful ones spread like successful viruses. Everyone has an intellectual immune system that helps limit this spread, but it can vary a lot. The best inoculation against harmful ideas is critical thinking, but there are ideas that can suppress the spread of this just like an autoimmune disease (anti-science, anti-critical thinking, etc.). These can be the most dangerous as they can allow the spreading of ideas that help spread things like real disease (like anti-vax ideas).

That's why critical thinking is one of the core subjects in my OSES project, which is designed to teach people how and why they should do this. We can even use the study of memetics to help "spread" this idea to the greatest number of people. One can think of it like learning 'intellectual self-defence'.

https://autistics.life/@murdoc/114175617261126366

#OSES

Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻:ri: 🇨🇦 (@[email protected])

For my second appendix to my Introduction, I'll talk about another project I'm working on, called OSES, or the Open Source Education System. It does not have anything to do with open source software however, not even computers. This is in fact just a placeholder name I've chosen until a better one comes up. It is meant to denote how it is meant to follow a similar method of development as open source software uses, which I'll describe in more detail later. The primary goal of the program is to teach people important knowledge and skills that are too often missing from the traditional education system. Examples include critical thinking, interpersonal communication, and emotion management (think like anger management, but for all emotions). While these are things almost everyone already has some knowledge and skill in already, everyone can benefit from improving them, and there is a lot to learn in these areas that most people are not aware of. OSES is not designed to replace traditional education, but instead work independent of it. It would be accessible, for free, primarily from the Internet in the form of downloadable materials (text, videos, apps, etc.). As time goes on and the program develops, it is my intention that groups will form that will assist in this training. They will be spontaneous, self-organized study groups that can range from large lecture groups to just having a study/practice partner. As many different learning styles will be accommodated as possible in order to reach as many people as possible. It is my hope that this program will not only be helpful to people's lives as individuals, but will also benefit their communities, organizations, and society as a whole. I'll describe more aspects of this project further in future replies to this post. #OSES #education #CriticalThinking

Autistics Life Community

@murdoc @TheBreadmonkey

""A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." -- Agent K