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February Hive Side Chat Webinar
There are costs of mis/disinformation, such as delayed or shelved innovations (just think of Golden Rice or virusresistant cassava), diminished scientific integrity, such as science by press conference, predatory journals (further information can be accessed on this topic through articles by Nature here, here and here), etc. This is less about scientific literacy and more about encouraging information literacy, media literacy and critical thinking. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be 4.1 billion users on social media.
No matter our level of expertise, we are social creatures incentivized by competing factors and guilty of biased thinking. Human beings are social beings, herd animals. All of us, including those of us who identify as knowledgeable experts. If we are to expect consistency in terms of how others create, interpret and share information, we need to do our best to inoculate ourselves against misinformation. We have to continuously demonstrate critical thinking skills ourselves. It is our responsibly to not only continue to engage around these complex topics but to also take inventory of the incentives we are responding to and understand the type of information that motivates our beliefs. In fact, those of us who are experts and advocates have the greatest responsibility to stay attuned to these spaces and be accountable when we fail or slip up.
The Agriculture Advocate’s Checklist:
• Understand and accept that, as experts, we can’t possibly know everything. • Avoid snap judgements to mis/disinformation posts. Experts and advocates need to be ‘slow thinkers’ (a la Daniel Kahneman). • Constantly leverage your networks to ensure accuracy: check context, timing, dates and intent or motivations (theirs and yours). Remember, mis and disinformation are constantly moving targets. It’s tough to keep up. • Share less and check more. • Think about the collective good. Does your post/response add value to the conversation? • Engaging in productive dialogue about agriculture means putting the relationship first. It’s a conversation, not a conversion.
Finally, intent is something that we always need to consider when engaging in productive conversations about complex topics like GMOs, health, vaccines or pesticides. Specific issues will come and go, but agriculture and science will always be problematized through disinformation. Fundamentally, we need to fight our urges to “win” today’s conversation or gather attention with today’s post and instead emphasize building transparency and trust for the long run. Understanding the landscape of mis/disinformation — how it is created and shared and the behaviors and biases that drive it (including our own) — is important in ensuring that societies benefit from the best that science has to offer.
For more information from Cami Ryan on this topic, see her Twitter thread which highlights a variety of sources/ citations on the topic here. Her recent journal article entitled Monetizing disinformation in the attention economy: The case of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the European Management Journal can be accessed here.
Join us at this February 25, 2021 for our monthly ‘Hive-side Chat’ webinar where we will feature guest speaker Dr. Alison McAfee who will be presenting on ‘Queen Failure: Two Years of Surveying BC Queens & Potential Causal Factors’.
The Hive-side Chat series is free, and all beekeepers are welcome! Dr. Alison McAfee Queen Failure: Two Years of Surveying BC Queens & Potential Causal Factors February 25, 2021 5:00pm Please visit www.albertabeekeepers.ca/2020/12/hive-side-chat-webinars/ for the zoom details.
