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Psychological biases are mental shortcuts or errors that affect how we perceive, process and interpret information. They can influence our judgment, decision-making and behavior in various situations. Psychological biases can be conscious or unconscious, and they can result from cognitive limitations, emotional factors, social pressures or environmental cues³⁶. Some of the common psychological biases that influence human decision-making are: - Confirmation bias: This is the tendency to seek, interpret and remember information that confirms our existing beliefs or hypotheses. Confirmation bias can lead us to ignore or dismiss evidence that contradicts our views, and to overestimate our confidence and accuracy²⁶. - Availability heuristic: This is the tendency to judge the likelihood or frequency of an event based on how easily we can recall examples from memory. Availability heuristic can make us overestimate the probability of rare but salient events, such as plane crashes or shark atta...

Have you ever seen an ad that claims something like “Our product is 10 times better than the leading brand” or “Our service is faster than 99% of our competitors”? These are examples of meaningless comparators, which are vague and unsubstantiated statements that are used to generate hype and buzz around products or services. Meaningless comparators are often hidden in advertorials, which are advertisements disguised as editorial content. They may also be seeded to appear in various media sources by mostly hidden distribution networks, such as influencers, affiliates, or paid reviewers. The purpose of these tactics is to create a false impression of superiority and credibility for the product or service being promoted. But why do marketers use meaningless comparators? And how can consumers avoid falling for them? The main reason why marketers use meaningless comparators is because they work.  According to a study by researchers at Northwestern University 1 , buyers may infer that a ...

Mobile phone scams are a serious problem that affects millions of people every year. Scammers use various methods to trick you into giving them money, personal information or access to your device. Some of the most common types of mobile phone scams are: - Subscriber fraud: This occurs when someone gains access to your personal information and opens a mobile phone account in your name. They then rack up huge bills that you have to pay for⁴. - Stolen phones: Thieves can steal your phone and use it to make calls, send texts or access your online accounts. They can also sell it to someone else who may do the same⁴. - Cloning: This occurs when a criminal gains access to your mobile phone number and unique serial number. They then use this information to make calls or send texts from another device that appears to be yours⁴. - Text scams: These are messages that claim to offer you something for free, ask you to confirm your details, or urge you to click on a link. The link may lead you to a...

A strange sight greeted a man who was walking along Enshuhama Beach near Hamamatsu City in Japan. He found a huge brown metal sphere that had washed up on the shore. The sphere was about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide and looked rusty and old⁴⁵⁶. The man reported his discovery to the local authorities, who sent a bomb disposal team to inspect the object. They performed an X-ray and found that it was hollow inside and had no explosive materials¹. They also confirmed that it was not radioactive³. But what was it? And where did it come from? The mystery sparked a lot of speculation and curiosity among the locals and online. Some people joked that it was an egg of Godzilla, the famous monster that has terrorized Japan in many movies¹². Others suggested that it was a mooring buoy, a device used to anchor ships or floating structures⁴. Some even wondered if it came from outer space or another dimension²⁵. The truth, however, may be more mundane than these wild theories. According to some experts...

Political parties are always looking for ways to win more votes and influence public opinion. One of the strategies they use is audience segmentation, which is a marketing technique that identifies and targets subgroups within an existing audience based on their common traits or needs¹². By using audience segmentation, political parties can tailor their messages and campaigns to appeal to specific voter groups and address their concerns. However, audience segmentation can also be used for unethical purposes, such as spreading dishonest ads that mislead or manipulate voters. Dishonest ads are those that are indecent, dishonest or untruthful³, such as making false claims, omitting important facts, using deceptive images or videos, or impersonating other sources. These ads can have a negative impact on democracy and trust in politics. How do political parties use audience segmentation, data and the web to target dishonest ads to voters? Here are some of the ways: - They collect data about...

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but they have become more widespread and influential in recent years, thanks to social media, political polarisation, and global crises. Some conspiracy theories are harmless or even amusing, but others can have serious consequences for democracy, security, and public health. One of the most prominent examples of a dangerous conspiracy theory is the claim that the coronavirus was engineered in a Chinese laboratory and deliberately released as a bioweapon. This theory was endorsed by Sir Richard Dearlove, a former head of MI6, who said he had seen an "important" scientific report that supported this idea¹. However, his claim was dismissed as "spurious" by Whitehall sources and experts, who said there was no evidence to support it¹. The coronavirus conspiracy theory is not only false, but also harmful. It fuels anti-Chinese sentiment, undermines trust in science and authorities, and distracts from the real causes and solut...

This post was created back in 2016 - it is still relevant now HEAD FUCK CYBER PROPAGANDA The (not so) recent twitter bot wars between Rep. and Dem. campaigns in the United States elections in 2016 and during presidential debates is just one of the recent examples that big government, companies and all kinds of special interests take social media very, very seriously. Hardly news, of course. What has however, become increasingly apparent in recent months is the large scale industrialisation of the creation of social content by automated means and by activists utilising technology to organise themselves. Meme factories of course being one obvious example. In the future it is all but inevitable that (in order to, for example, maintain the image of public consensus or the image of two warring opposite sides with no common ground even though the reality may be different) bots purporting to support ideologies, candidates, parties, and even corporations will beco...