Re:Jeff Bezos: Today's internet is a 'confirmation bias mach...
by chriselles on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @04:20AM
(#18227628)
This article reads like a single sound bite.
I agree that the internet and social media can act as a catalyst to celebrate confirmation bias.
But I also think we have to be mindful beyond just confirmation bias and include conformity bias and halo effect.
In fact, you could probably add another 5-10 common human biases to the list, but Zipf’s Law would help narrow down which ones to focus on.
My personal feeling as an observer of human behaviour and the parent of teens is that we need to specifically educate ourselves with an emphasis on common biases.
Re:Jeff Bezos: Today's internet is a 'confirmation bias mach...
by frankling_ on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @01:39AM
(#18226859)
Not sure how much these terms mean nowadays, and you could even say that the left/right positioning game is identity politics in itself. Maybe it's more interesting to consider whether the ideas have merit.
Re:Jeff Bezos: Today's internet is a 'confirmation bias mach...
by nemo846 on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @03:24AM
(#18227347)
Don’t think he leans any direction.
IMHO ideology is a mental shortcut where you blanket apply fixed rules instead of thinking through the specifics of the situation.
People love the various popular ideologies because said ideologies are simple and easier to understand - people want easy answers. Unfortunately the world isn’t simple.
In the words of H. L. Mencken,
“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.”
I agree that the internet and social media can act as a catalyst to celebrate confirmation bias.
But I also think we have to be mindful beyond just confirmation bias and include conformity bias and halo effect.
In fact, you could probably add another 5-10 common human biases to the list, but Zipf’s Law would help narrow down which ones to focus on.
My personal feeling as an observer of human behaviour and the parent of teens is that we need to specifically educate ourselves with an emphasis on common biases.
Bias innoculation thru education perhaps?
Does this sound like he's leaning left or right?
IMHO ideology is a mental shortcut where you blanket apply fixed rules instead of thinking through the specifics of the situation.
People love the various popular ideologies because said ideologies are simple and easier to understand - people want easy answers. Unfortunately the world isn’t simple.
In the words of H. L. Mencken,
“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.”