Science/Life: Information quality

I use Facebook. Many of my Facebook friends are from the dance floor, and I don't pick them based on their political affiliations.

As such, as the US Presidential election nears, I receive some (a lot of) political posts from both sides.

One (actually two) of the recent posts made me think about the quality of information flying around in Facebook and other places.

First, read following recent speech by President Obama in the original form.

"The future must not belong to those who target Coptic Christians in Egypt – it must be claimed by those in Tahrir Square who chanted “Muslims, Christians, we are one.” The future must not belong to those who bully women – it must be shaped by girls who go to school, and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons. The future must not belong to those corrupt few who steal a country’s resources – it must be won by the students and entrepreneurs; workers and business owners who seek a broader prosperity for all people. Those are the men and women that America stands with; theirs is the vision we will support.

The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. Yet to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see when the image of Jesus Christ is desecrated, churches are destroyed, or the Holocaust is denied. Let us condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims, and Shiite pilgrims. It is time to heed the words of Gandhi: “Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” Together, we must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them. That is what America embodies, and that is the vision we will support."

A few days later, two photos based on the same speech appeared in my Facebook homepage.

This is a classical example of "out of context" slander. The picture on the right was posted by at least two guys. One guy said "Hey, read and learn, liberals", then showed the picture on the right. Another guy is a religious guy, whose latest post says "FAITH-My faith in God is unshakable", and the picture came with "YOU DECIDE!!!!!".

With all due respect as a Facebook friend, I do not think the way they handled the speech and the information was trustworthy or honorable, or even "godly". In the future I would have to listen to what they say with a certain skepticism.

They may or may not speak something good or truthful in the future. But the "Boy who cried wolf" effect has already kicked in.

As a scientist, I generate and examine data. The quality of the data is very important for this job. Trained scientists assess the quality of the information and quality of the source.

For general matters like politics, we do not generate primary information. Most of the time we act on what someone else says (hearsay). That is why assessment of the source is critical.

In case of politics, this kind of information skew can come from all sides. That is why I am minding who says it in the individual's level.

These Facebook friends have failed to provide good information regarding politics. Should I trust what they say about politics? I'm not sure. If you think I'm that easy to manipulate, think again, if you ever think.