Calling Bullshit: The Art of Scepticism in a Data-Driven World

by Carl T. Bergstrom

Communication over social media does the same thing: It creates and structures social communities. When we send out a tweet or Facebook post or Instagram image, we are affirming our commitment to the values and beliefs of our particular online community. As the community responds, these common values are reaffirmed through likes, shares, comments, or retweets.

Sharing on social media is not to convey a certain message but more to express belonging to a community of people sharing the same values. This sense of belonging is then reassured by likes.

Correlation doesn’t imply causation—but apparently it doesn’t sell newspapers either.