Lecture on Media and Critical Thinking

Media as a Source of Information

• Media's Influence: The media significantly impacts us, driven by addiction to information and entertainment.
• Motivation: The primary why behind media is financial. The media is a business, and its purpose is to generate revenue.
• Revenue Model: Media outlets generate income through advertising. Magazines profit from subscriptions that allow them to sell advertising space, while broadcast media (TV, radio) sell commercial time. Revenue is positively correlated with the number of listeners/viewers.
• Evening News Focus: The evening news aims to maximize viewership to increase commercial revenue.
• The "If it bleeds, it leads" Mentality:
  • News often focuses on extreme or horrific events.
  • This creates a skewed, unrealistic perception of the world, potentially leading to fear and isolation.
• Rushed Reporting and Misinformation:
  • The pressure to be first can lead to inadequate fact-checking.
  • This can result in the spread of misinformation.

Example of Misinformation: The £90 Scam

• Initial Report: A Houston news station warned about a scam where pressing £90 on a landline could grant access to the phone line, enabling international calls.
• Skepticism: The idea of giving access through a simple code raised doubts.
• Verification: Online search revealed an AT&T page debunking the scam for home users; it only affected businesses with specific phone systems.
• Reality: It was a conference call feature that could be exploited, not a general security risk.
• Lack of Due Diligence: The news station failed to verify the information before broadcasting it.
• Resurgence of Urban Legends:
  • The £90 scam resurfaced on Facebook years later with slight modifications (accessing SIM cards).
  • Urban legends tend to reappear with updated details, targeting new audiences.

Sloppy News Broadcast Example: Asiana Airlines Crash

• Incident: A San Francisco station reported on a tragic Asiana Airlines crash with fatalities.
• Pilot Names Gaffe: The station aired fabricated, offensive names for the pilots (e.g., Captain Sum Ting Wong, We Too Low, Ho Li Fook, Bang Ding Ow).
• Unbelievable Error: The fact that no one caught the error before airing was astonishing.
• Narrative in Names: The fake names humorously depicted the plane's emergency landing.
• The pilot's names told the story of the landing: Captain Something Wong -> We too low -> Holy Fook -> Bang Ding Ow.

Persuasive Marketing Tactics

• Importance of Knowing Motivation: Understand the intentions behind persuasive attempts, especially in sales or convincing scenarios.
• Example 1: Misleading Statement on Abortion and Cancer Risk
  • The Statement: An anti-abortion group claimed abortion increases the lifetime risk of cervical and ovarian cancer by 50% based on university research.
  • Technical Accuracy: The statement was technically accurate but misleading.
  • Hypothetical Scenario: A college student faces an unexpected pregnancy and considers her options.
  • Information Search: She encounters the 50% increased cancer risk statement.
  • Potential Impact: The statement might dissuade her from choosing abortion.
  • Intended Interpretation: The statement is designed to be interpreted in a specific, fear-inducing way.
  • Accurate Interpretation:
    • Lifetime in the study was defined as 110 years, skewing the data.
    • Suppose a woman has a 10% chance of developing these cancers without abortion.
    • After abortion, the risk increases by 50% of the original risk (10%), which is 5%.
    • The new risk is 10% + 5% = 15%, not 60%.
  • Sneaky Persuasion: The goal was to manipulate the interpretation to influence the decision.
• The importance of understanding the original baseline. It is a 50% increase OF the current pre-existing risk of Cancer. For example from 10% to 15%, not a 50% flat risk of cancer.
• Example 2: Deceptive Marketing - "Now Even Larger" Wipes
  • Personal Anecdote: The professor shares experience from having four children and buying baby products.
  • The Sticker: Noticed a sticker that said "Now Even Larger"
  • *Relative to package size.
  • Marketing Deception: A smaller box was spun as a positive (“larger wipe”), while the wipes themselves were possibly smaller too. A marketing genius took this smaller box and spun it into a positive selling tool to make poor stupid customers believe we were getting a bigger wipe when in fact we were just getting a smaller box and probably even a smaller wipe.
• Advertisers can legally lie as long as they correct it before the commercial is over. The professor uses an Example of a Cell Phone commercial advertising unlimited for only 40 a month.
  • The disclaimer said data limited to two gigs per month

Misuse of Graphs

• General Rule: Be skeptical of unlabeled graphs used to sell or convince.
• Hypothetical Scenario: Employee requests a raise after nine years, presenting a graph showing a flat salary compared to the cost of living.
• Boss's Counter-Argument: The boss presents a different graph showing significant salary increases over the years.
• The Trick: Both graphs used the same data, but the vertical axis values were manipulated to tell different stories.
• Importance of Labels: Unlabeled axes allow manipulation of the graph's message.
• The professor gives two example of graphs demonstrating compensation to an employee over a 9 year period. The first graph depicts flat salary which requests fair compensation whereas the boss demonstrates with a new graph an exponential rate of pay that is not labeled.
• Takeaway: Be skeptical, aware, and think critically, especially when time, money, or emotions are involved.