Wonderful of example of “anchoring” technique in a news column #fakenews

Wonderful of example of “anchoring” technique in a news column #fakenews

Anchoring is the method of implanting a suggested value in the reader or viewer’s mind. Can you spot the “anchor” in this passage? Why immigration? It’s not the central concern of most voters. A Gallup survey in May found that 10 percent of Americans listed it as the most important problem facing the country. Source: E.J. Dionne: Call out the lies and the hatred | OregonLive.com When I read that, and likely when you read that, you internalized that as…

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News: Journalists fall for false meme: why?

News: Journalists fall for false meme: why?

The long-time thesis of this blog is that social media is a frictionless platform for the spread of propaganda. In the “good old days”, propaganda required owning a printing press or broadcast license. Today, anyone can become a propagandist by posting an appropriate meme on social media and watch it shared thousands or millions of times. Journalists frequently use their personal accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (but especially Twitter) to share items of interest to themselves. Due to the…

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Journalists fall for false meme, because they want it to be true?

Journalists fall for false meme, because they want it to be true?

The long time thesis of this blog is that social media is a frictionless platform for the spread of propaganda. In the “good old days”, propaganda required owning a printing press or broadcast license. Today, anyone can become a propagandist by posting an appropriate meme on social media and watch it shared thousands or millions of times. Journalists frequently use their personal accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (but especially Twitter) to share items of interest to themselves. Due to…

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What Fiction News Looks Like: “Volcanic eruptions like the one in Hawaii, are not natural disasters — without them the Earth would explode”

What Fiction News Looks Like: “Volcanic eruptions like the one in Hawaii, are not natural disasters — without them the Earth would explode”

Fox News runs a column about Kilauea in which it gets almost everything wrong starting with the headline. Source: Volcanic eruptions like the one in Hawaii, are not natural disasters — without them the Earth would explode | Fox News What an actual volcanologist has to say about this: I also checked with my personal consulting geologist who agrees with Dr. Pitcher. In case Fox fixes their stupidity on this, here’s a screen capture of the headline:

Public sector workers have greater free speech rights than do private sector workers

Public sector workers have greater free speech rights than do private sector workers

The NY Times writes in “Speaking Freely About Politics Can Cost You Your Job” that private sector workers ‘ “…don’t have the right to speak freely in the workplace.” Or even outside it.’ Unlike public sector workers: “… anyone who works for a government office, whether local, state or federal, is for the most part protected by the First Amendment”. Public sector workers have a greater free speech right than do private sector workers (which is most of the workers…

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Should professors have more free speech rights than others?

Should professors have more free speech rights than others?

If we engaged in widely publicized hateful or hurtful or vile speech, our employers would likely begin job termination procedures within 24 hours regardless of whether we made such comments in a private capacity or not. As the NY Times notes, “Speaking Freely About Politics Can Cost You Your Job“. Private sector workers ‘ “…don’t have the right to speak freely in the workplace.” Or even outside it.’ Unlike public sector workers: “… anyone who works for a government office,…

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#Facebook is designed to “reward content that elicits emotion”

#Facebook is designed to “reward content that elicits emotion”

Because emotionally roused viewers are more susceptible to advertising messages: The service’s algorithm, designed to reward content that elicits emotion, made it a perfect tool for Russian propagandists to spread disinformation during the 2016 election. Source: Instagram Looks Like Facebook’s Best Hope – Bloomberg Nice to see others recognizing that Facebook emotionally manipulates people.

Computer algorithms that analyze #Facebook “Likes” understand your thinking better than your spouse #DeleteFacebook #Privacy

Computer algorithms that analyze #Facebook “Likes” understand your thinking better than your spouse #DeleteFacebook #Privacy

Facebook (and Youtube and Twitter) have conducted a global experiment on human populations without consent of the guinea pigs by analyzing our “Likes”. Facebook’s digital model of us is more accurate than our own understanding of ourselves. Computers need evaluate as few as 100 Likes to make a judgement more effective than a human. Analyzing just 300 Likes enables the model to know more about the subject than does the subject’s spouse. Computer models achieve “peak” accuracy when more than…

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Architectural propaganda – how stores are designed to trap you

Architectural propaganda – how stores are designed to trap you

Costco stores, like many stores, are designed to trap you inside longer and to walk further to be exposed to more buying temptations. Food and toilet paper are placed in the back so you will have to walk past more tempting items to buy. Costco tends to move products around inside the store so that you will walk more to find them on your next visit. Costco is not alone. Grocery stores put milk and eggs in the back of…

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