Steak-ummVerified account

ok it's time to talk about societal distrust in experts and institutions, the rise of misinformation, cultural polarization, and how to work toward some semblance of mutually agreed upon information before we splinter into irreconcilable realities (beefy thread incoming)

science the *term* has been politicized—not the *process* of it. as that process has evolved on issues, both public and private institutions have taken inspiration from it, but those decisions are still driven by economic and political interests which muddy how the term is used

distrust in institutions is complex. it's accelerated by people's access to infinite information, credible sources being paywalled, corruption, honest misteaks, or propaganda, but underneath it all is a cultural polarization dating back decades that won't be solved overnight

in the past year various experts and public figures have changed positions with new findings, made good faith errors, politicized the virus, spread misinformation, and had disagreements across institutions. every possible narrative on these occurrences has been amplified by media

the path to restore trust in institutions must be shared between experts and laypeople alike. it’s an uphill battle. people naturally distrust power. experts have knowledge laypeople don't. polarization, fear, and otherizing sell. there's a bottomless market for misinformation

experts need to earn trust back by acknowledging misteaks and being transparent about their processes, what's known, and what's still being learned. they need to address valid concerns. they need to meat people where they are and deliver tangible benefits to improve their lives

laypeople need to hold both their skepticism and trust of experts in an open hand. they need to acknowledge their limitations in accessing or interpreting fields or resources outside their expertise. they need to keep learning media literacy and grappling with empirical evidence

the shortcomings within experts and institutions don't make fringe sources equally credible or trustworthy. if a doctor gets something wrong, you try another doctor, not a plumber. if a study gets something wrong, you don’t rely on anecdotes for truth, you rely on better studies