Skip to content
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • Moments Moments Moments, current page.

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
zeynep's profile
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
Verified account
@zeynep

Tweets

zeynep tufekciVerified account

@zeynep

Complex systems, wicked problems. Society, technology, science and more. @UNC professor. @NYTimes columnist. My newsletter is @insight: http://www.theinsight.org 

floating in a most peculiar way
theinsight.org
Joined August 2009

Tweets

  • © 2022 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    1. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

      The pandemic is an unwelcome, tragic societal stress test. We should learn from it and work to fix the cracks that were revealed especially since the lessons apply broadly. New piece analyzing five key pitfalls that hampered us—and how to move forward. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/how-public-health-messaging-backfired/618147/ …pic.twitter.com/0Rt4xPjAqZ

      43 replies 933 retweets 2,983 likes
      Show this thread
      zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

      It's a lengthy piece with a lot of analyses so I'm experimenting with an open thread about it in my newsletter where I can respond longer and have back-and-forth. (No paywall and it's open to everyone). I look forward to comments, questions and objections!https://zeynep.substack.com/p/pandemic-lessons-for-the-future-open …

      9:34 AM - 26 Feb 2021
      • 54 Retweets
      • 277 Likes
      • Suzie Siegel Farzaneh Behroozi Giancarlo BeepBoop tatere.🦑 J. C. Cantwell Amarjit Singh Bill paul_mikowski
      3 replies 54 retweets 277 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          You know the saying: how generals are always fighting the last war? That's not fate. We *can* put the last war to good use by learning from it. It's especially important to realize that things can fail because of structure and incentives. Good intentions are great—but not enough.

          9 replies 22 retweets 239 likes
          Show this thread
        3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          Example, many have commented on the remarkable persistence of "hygiene theater". But it's not just about the guidelines, but also about an internal "locus of control" and "fundamental attribution error"—our beliefs in fate versus free will—for good or bad. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/how-public-health-messaging-backfired/618147/ …pic.twitter.com/qWJ5GwiEB5

          2 replies 49 retweets 279 likes
          Show this thread
        4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          So it's not enough to discuss the evidence etc. for fomites vs airborne, because there's also a lot of sociology and psychology driving why we cling to that bottle of disinfectant a little too tightly—and that same dynamic applies to our reaction to vaccines/masks & beaches, too.

          3 replies 19 retweets 225 likes
          Show this thread
        5. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Kevin

          I hear this a lot—and I admit to being a card-carrying member of the earnest and optimist club—but it's not true. One, we have a new administration—not a minor thing. Two, WE DO THIS occasionally. It's not about scapegoating but sharpening understanding.https://twitter.com/kevin_bowen/status/1365369413608742912 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Kevin @kevin_bowen
          Learning from past mistakes? Buddy, this is AMERICA https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1365356253891985410 …
          Show this thread
          3 replies 7 retweets 180 likes
          Show this thread
        6. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          Dr. Fauci, today: “It’s backed by common sense. If you have two vaccinated people and they want to get together.. You can get start getting [together].. even though the risk is not zero, the risk becomes extremely low when you've both parties vaccinated.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA3ZfIEB22M …

          12 replies 72 retweets 324 likes
          Show this thread
        7. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          Do note there's no contradiction between keeping up public precautions—just the sociology of it: not good to have two classes of people for public behavior—while simultaneously expanding private behavior. If anything, I expect these to support each other. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/how-public-health-messaging-backfired/618147/ …pic.twitter.com/fkCBW68AeX

          9 replies 45 retweets 274 likes
          Show this thread
        8. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 26 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Bill

          Presymptomatic transmission & atypical clinical presentation. This was, indeed, much like SARS (overdispersed, aerosols important) *except* with SARS, fever & infectiousness overlapped. That info is what convinced me in January of 2020 we'd get a pandemic.https://twitter.com/BillFoto3/status/1365411548068511749 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Bill @BillFoto3
          Replying to @BillFoto3 @zeynep @MC_of_A
          Prior knowledge or educated assumptions, especially by April 2020, seemed to be almost entirely accurate. I don't think I've read a single article where one of the assumptions scientists and health officials made based on prior knowledge was just flat wrong, but I may be mistaken
          4 replies 16 retweets 169 likes
          Show this thread
        9. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Lauren Pelley

          Yes, please. Should have done this since last spring.https://twitter.com/LaurenPelley/status/1365655101914968068 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Lauren PelleyVerified account @LaurenPelley
          “If you gave people that opportunity to do things appropriately outside, how many cases would you then save from indoor activity?" asks @zchagla. @adamsmiller explores why it may be time to allow lower-risk outdoor gatherings to ward off pandemic fatigue: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-risk-canada-weather-1.5930135 …
          Show this thread
          5 replies 45 retweets 336 likes
          Show this thread
        10. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          A fascinating historical point on how the US public health authorities dragged their feet on providing sterile needles/exchanges during the HIV pandemic because "we don't know" if it works. Need to reread that history with a new perspective. Recs welcome. https://zeynep.substack.com/p/pandemic-lessons-for-the-future-open/comments …pic.twitter.com/eWGI1q4ntJ

          12 replies 76 retweets 335 likes
          Show this thread
        11. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Gregg Gonsalves

          It's 2021—and lawmakers are still trying to ban needle-exchanges.🤬This is why we must learn from the mistakes of past & current pandemics (I'm the child of an addict who essentially died from it—I don't have naive or simplistic thoughts about addiction).https://twitter.com/gregggonsalves/status/1365711828182065152 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Gregg GonsalvesVerified account @gregggonsalves
          Replying to @zeynep
          Well @zeynep sadly we are not done with those struggles. West Virginia about to ban needle exchange despite HIV outbreaks in the state. It’s a scandal, it’s an outrage that we’re still fighting this shit. https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2021/02/21/morgantown-shows-how-syringe-exchanges-save-lives-but-a-bill-before-the-west-virginia-legislature-would-outlaw-them/ …
          4 replies 55 retweets 304 likes
          Show this thread
        12. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

          I want to put this out here (because the article is long and I don't expect everyone to read it). I would not relax any indoor rules right now—if anything, I think they can be more strict (with support for those who have to work indoors/remain closed).https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1365717999974514689 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
          Replying to @zeynep @RRcandid @ashishkjha
          So my wish is for the CDC to tell us: guidelines/risk comparisons for: private behavior among vaccinated people and private behavior for vaccinated people around unvaccinated people *and* distinguish outdoor/indoor rules. Public NPIs for indoor? I'd make them *more* strict now.😬
          2 replies 58 retweets 287 likes
          Show this thread
        13. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          Vaccines will/should allow expanded private behaviors for the vaccinated and we should be more chill and encouraging of outdoors is not only compatible with, is supportive of the idea that we should be MORE *on guard* indoors while we vaccinate and outrun the variants spreading.pic.twitter.com/HK677CbBZj

          3 replies 60 retweets 282 likes
          Show this thread
        14. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          Is this all still relevant? Yes. London News today: "Crowds flock to parks and beaches despite Covid-19 warning from top scientists." Look at the pics! (Also UK had a "eat out to help out" plan subsidizing INDOOR dining—no take-out allowed—they may reportedly bring back soon).pic.twitter.com/vWAtAUhctE

          12 replies 23 retweets 242 likes
          Show this thread
        15. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 27 Feb 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Richard Engel

          One year ago today. I’m not blaming him—it is true, that was the overwhelming message. We can and should stop being behind transitions and start acting/adjusting ahead of or with them. Matters for the endgame, too.https://twitter.com/RichardEngel/status/1232770729290035202 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Richard EngelVerified account @RichardEngel
          Don’t panic. Doctors/ virologists I’m speaking to say 98% of people will be fine, even if they get Covid-19. They expect it will go around the world, but that most people who get it will be a little sick, then recover. The danger is to vulnerable people. Hospitals/ old age homes.
          7 replies 16 retweets 124 likes
          Show this thread
        16. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 28 Feb 2021

          It was one year ago yesterday I published an article urging people to get ready, trying to explain flattening the curve, etc. because I was so frustrated with lack of advice on how and why to prepare. So I'm advocating for getting ready for transitions—not optimism or pessimism.pic.twitter.com/eBgFmrKknq

          6 replies 25 retweets 204 likes
          Show this thread
        17. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 28 Feb 2021

          We often get shoehorned into inappropriate binaries. Optimist or pessimist? (I'll admit being an optimist personality-wise but my analytical interests are usually the opposite: I'm on the lookout for what can go wrong). The interesting questions we face don't fit into binaries.

          4 replies 27 retweets 196 likes
          Show this thread
        18. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 1 Mar 2021

          TIL from @joshgans response to my article: Medical community *opposed* teaching kids 1-4 how to swim because... it would make the parents complacent. Meanwhile, in real life, lessons at that age is associated with an ~88% reduction in drowning risk. https://joshuagans.substack.com/p/optimal-anxiety …pic.twitter.com/ejBRE1tGVn

          8 replies 98 retweets 337 likes
          Show this thread
        19. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 1 Mar 2021

          This logic of denying safety devices/tools or tiered information or better guidelines to ordinary people against terrible outcomes they *would* like to avoid because of fears of "risk compensation" or "false sense of security" is.. almost always bunk *and* counterproductive.

          8 replies 52 retweets 289 likes
          Show this thread
        20. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 1 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

          Randomized trials are amazing and necessary for many things, but what gets implemented without them (despite no evidence) and what doesn't (despite tons of other kinds of strong evidence) is often.. a function of what the authorities feel comfortable with.https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1366385652636475394 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
          Replying to @joshgans
          Amazing how the evidentiary standards shift when it comforts the authorities. Implement needle exchanges? "No, where's the RCT?" Teach kids to swim to protect against drowning? "Here's some theory I made up". Of course swimming helps against drowning. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151293/ …
          8 replies 38 retweets 224 likes
          Show this thread
        21. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 1 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Covid One Year Ago

          Painful account to follow, but important to learn from what actually happened.https://twitter.com/YearCovid/status/1366400080098459654 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Covid One Year Ago @YearCovid
          29 Feb 2020 "You do NOT need to get or wear any face masks- surgical masks, N95 masks, respirator masks, or anything else- to protect yourself against the coronavirus. Not only do you not need them, you shouldn’t wear them" https://web.archive.org/web/20200301071220if_/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2020/02/29/no-you-do-not-need-face-masks-for-coronavirus-they-might-increase-your-infection-risk/ … pic.twitter.com/LAPLU89tfy
          8 replies 89 retweets 282 likes
          Show this thread
        22. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 1 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Pete Muntean

          This is amazing. This should happen everywhere in the world. I wish we actively celebrated these moving moments. This isn’t just some routine event. Vaccines are about as close to an earthly miracle as it gets. And we got them so fast for COVID.https://twitter.com/petemuntean/status/1366442688296456192 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          0:08
          Pete MunteanVerified account @petemuntean
          BREAKING: The first @UPS truck carrying the Johnson & Johnson vaccine just arrived at the Worldport hub in Louisville. More trucks carrying the vaccine will arrive throughout the day. Deliveries start TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/Aud092wQ24
          13 replies 187 retweets 1,027 likes
          Show this thread
        23. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          Every time I go on media and say the obvious: outdoors IS safer with much less risk of superspreading (I don't know of a single confirmed outdoor-only mass transmission event) many people object and say Rose Garden! Sturgis! Neither were outdoor only. The price of misinformation.

          15 replies 113 retweets 612 likes
          Show this thread
        24. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          The immediate backlash to pointing out the most basic, most obvious thing after a whole year—yes, yes, please go outdoors, but do avoid especially poorly-ventilated, crowded indoors—is a tragic confirmation of what I'm trying to say. We have not informed and empowered people.

          8 replies 106 retweets 539 likes
          Show this thread
        25. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

          We have pictures from the White House cluster—it was a multi-day process with multiple maskless (!) indoor components. We have papers from the Sturgis rally—what infection we did find was indoors. Outdoor transmission isn't impossible, but relatively rare.https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1363522936431345666 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
          To the people telling me about the Sturgis rally. Forget the trad/social media moral panic—and the speculative reporting & headlines. We have actual papers. The event had a huge indoor component & what spread we do know happened in restaurants/workplaces. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e1.htm#T1_down … pic.twitter.com/cD8jDxLZpM
          Show this thread
          4 replies 35 retweets 234 likes
          Show this thread
        26. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          Such widespread misinformation—not distinguishing the much safer outdoors from the highest risk environments: poorly-ventilated indoors and explaining why—has a great cost because if people don't know how to keep themselves safer, they cannot keep themselves safer. Tragic.

          9 replies 71 retweets 338 likes
          Show this thread
        27. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci

          Sometimes people say why are you beating the outdoors drum? Doesn't everyone know? I wish. I mean this happened just yesterday. I go on any broadcast medium to say outdoors *is* safer, I get flooded by people who say "how dare you" and who have no idea.https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1366520460138213380 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynep
          Tons of people are pinging me about it, so here goes. Whatever @Laurie_Garrett has just claimed on TV, there was a huge indoor component to the White House event that ended up being a cluster. We have reports *and* pictures so not hard to get the facts straight. @NicolleDWallace https://twitter.com/BestOLuck/status/1366516272918368260 … pic.twitter.com/va8ACEgGCw
          Show this thread
          8 replies 26 retweets 213 likes
          Show this thread
        28. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Albert Pinto

          Yes. Photograph choice matters. Beaches, parks, the photogenic outdoor portion of an event that was part of a multi-day process with many unmasked *indoors* meetings and a reception... This isn't how we inform people.https://twitter.com/70sBachchan/status/1366743396925272065 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Albert Pinto @70sBachchan
          Replying to @zeynep
          NYTimes literally changed the cover image in this story from the one with Amy Coney Barrett inside the indoors WH reception room (where infections happened) to the one with everyone seated outdoors! https://twitter.com/70sBachchan/status/1312914439520346114 …
          2 replies 26 retweets 207 likes
          Show this thread
        29. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Covid One Year Ago

          So the below happened *after* we already saw exponential growth outside of China—Italy, South Korea, Iran.. Exponential growth gets harder & harder to curb, so those weeks mattered. Transitions are crucial: by the time everything is obvious, it's too late.https://twitter.com/YearCovid/status/1366756679837097985 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Covid One Year Ago @YearCovid
          2 Mar 2020 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio encourages New Yorkers "to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus". The NYC health commissioner advises: "use the subway, take the bus... covid-19 is not an illness that can be easily spread through casual contact” pic.twitter.com/TpeIKXmYRT
          Show this thread
          3 replies 36 retweets 160 likes
          Show this thread
        30. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Zach Despart

          It's too early to open up everything and stop wearing masks in public—again especially indoors. Why risk so many people when we are so so close? On the other hand, yeah, *do* go outdoors and provide better safety for the workers who can't just "stay home".https://twitter.com/zachdespart/status/1366840400875556871 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Zach DespartVerified account @zachdespart
          The COVID messaging from Texas and Harris County gov't could not be more different right now: @LinaHidalgoTX: Stay home at all times except for essential errands! @GregAbbott_TX: No mask order, all businesses back open to 100%! Who will people listen to? https://twitter.com/zachdespart/status/1366837856778526720 …
          16 replies 82 retweets 310 likes
          Show this thread
        31. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 2 Mar 2021

          Vaccines ARE great, but unvaccinated people aren't any more protected then yesterday because we just don't have enough community coverage—yet. But we are moving there so fast. This one-size-fits-all, too-early, too reckless rush to "open" up is senseless.

          15 replies 76 retweets 381 likes
          Show this thread
        32. Show replies

      Loading seems to be taking a while.

      Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

        Promoted Tweet

        false

        • © 2022 Twitter
        • About
        • Help Center
        • Terms
        • Privacy policy
        • Cookies
        • Ads info