The information Imbalance in Topics

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There is an imbalance in topics where one side has more information and research compared to the other side, making it difficult to assess the issue.
Examples of this imbalance include the arguments for and against Bitcoin and the effects of pesticides on health.
In both cases, the side with more information and research tends to be more engaged and provide stronger arguments.
Engagement level on different sides of an issue can significantly affect the quality of arguments presented.
It is important to recognize that less engagement does not necessarily mean the less engaged side is wrong, but it may make it harder to find the best arguments from that side.

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What is the New Enlightenment? What might it mean to improve our epistemics with regard to institutions? How should we fix imbalanced salience in contexts where misinformation is a problem (like news media)? How have the economics of institutions deteriorated? How can we continually reinvigorate systems so that they remain ungameable and resistant to runaway feedback loops? In the context of government in particular, how can we move away from "one dollar, one vote" and back towards "one person, one vote"? At what levels or layers should institutional interventions be applied? What can we do to increase trust across social differences and reduce contempt among groups? Under what conditions is it rational to feel contempt for an out-group? How can we make conflict and "dunking" less appealing, and make openmindedness and careful consideration more appealing? What is the "dismissal" economy? How can we deal with information overload? How might the adversarial economic model be used to improve academia?

Ashley Hodgson is an Associate Professor of Economics and a YouTuber. She teaches behavioral economics, digital industries, health care economics, and blockchain economics. Her YouTube channel, The New Enlightenment, explores topics related to economics, governance, and epistemics — that is, the determination of truth and validity — in a world of social media and increasing power concentration. She also has another YouTube channel with her economics lectures.

Staff