'Do your own research': Four words hurting US response to Covid, says report
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The US pandemic response has been greatly hit by the four little words, "do your own research". The idea has been promoted by the personalities too. It may seem positive but can turn out to be really disturbing as not everyone doesn't know how to do research in the right sense. In recent times, there are loads of incorrect information on the internet
The four little words, "do your own research", seem to be hurting the US pandemic response greatly, said a CNN report citing reliable sources on Sunday.
This idea has real consequences as personalities from Nicki Minaj to Sean Hannity continue to promote the idea.
On Twitter last week, Minaj helped raise doubts about COVID-19 vaccines by claiming she would only get the shots once she'd "done enough research."
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The idea may seem reasonable and even positive. It is also a favoured talking point echoed by many in the right-wing media.
The real issue is that not everyone doesn't know how to do research in the right sense as there are loads of incorrect information on the internet. And especially when it comes to understanding the complexities of medical science, it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
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Renee DiResta, research manager, Stanford Internet Observatory, said, "The notion of doing your own research is not a bad idea in itself, as it's important to maintain a healthy level of skepticism about information being fed to you.”
“But in today's media environment fueled by clicks and engagement, it's all too easy to come across misleading data that confirms biases. Nobody's going to the library and looking up authoritative sources to do their own research," DiResta added.