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What to Do When Your Uncle Believes Coronavirus Conspiracies What to Do When Your Uncle Believes Coronavirus Conspiracies
(7 days later)
This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays.This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays.
It’s not unusual for my relatives or friends to talk about kooky ideas. But now others’ believing in hoaxes or bad information feels dangerous. This drug is a miracle cure! Blame this billionaire for the virus!It’s not unusual for my relatives or friends to talk about kooky ideas. But now others’ believing in hoaxes or bad information feels dangerous. This drug is a miracle cure! Blame this billionaire for the virus!
I tried to figure out what we can do when someone we love believes in coronavirus conspiracies they see online.I tried to figure out what we can do when someone we love believes in coronavirus conspiracies they see online.
What I learned is we need to have empathy for people who are afraid of a scary illness. We should be on the lookout for those who have reasons to talk up misinformation. And with trust in authority figures falling among many Americans, we can step in and spread good information to people who trust us and model good behavior.What I learned is we need to have empathy for people who are afraid of a scary illness. We should be on the lookout for those who have reasons to talk up misinformation. And with trust in authority figures falling among many Americans, we can step in and spread good information to people who trust us and model good behavior.
“Conspiracy theories seem especially likely to take hold during disasters and tragedies when people experience a loss of control and are trying to make sense of the world,” said Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College professor who studies misperceptions about politics and health care.“Conspiracy theories seem especially likely to take hold during disasters and tragedies when people experience a loss of control and are trying to make sense of the world,” said Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College professor who studies misperceptions about politics and health care.
Nyhan said the worst thing you can do is shame people in your social circle for what they believe. Don’t be too hard on your cousin who posts that cellphone towers contribute to coronavirus infections. Don’t be that lobbyist who typed “IDIOTS” about people protesting stay-at-home orders.Nyhan said the worst thing you can do is shame people in your social circle for what they believe. Don’t be too hard on your cousin who posts that cellphone towers contribute to coronavirus infections. Don’t be that lobbyist who typed “IDIOTS” about people protesting stay-at-home orders.
We’re fallible. Sometimes we worry about the wrong things. Reasonable people can disagree, particularly when knowledge about this virus keeps shifting.We’re fallible. Sometimes we worry about the wrong things. Reasonable people can disagree, particularly when knowledge about this virus keeps shifting.
We also need to train ourselves and our loved ones to look behind the curtain for people with a political message and others who have incentives to fan our fears in crises, said Renée DiResta, who researches disinformation at the Stanford Internet Observatory.We also need to train ourselves and our loved ones to look behind the curtain for people with a political message and others who have incentives to fan our fears in crises, said Renée DiResta, who researches disinformation at the Stanford Internet Observatory.
But Nyhan said it’s counterproductive to spend too much energy trying to refute people we disagree with, whether it’s friends, talking heads on television or politicians. If we put all our attention on misinformation, he said, “the communication becomes too focused on what’s not true rather than what is.”But Nyhan said it’s counterproductive to spend too much energy trying to refute people we disagree with, whether it’s friends, talking heads on television or politicians. If we put all our attention on misinformation, he said, “the communication becomes too focused on what’s not true rather than what is.”
Instead, he said it’s better to amplify accurate messages. Nyhan credited sports stars like Steph Curry, health care officials and entertainers who helped spread the message that the coronavirus was dangerous and that people could best protect themselves by staying home as much as possible and keeping their distance from people outside their households.Instead, he said it’s better to amplify accurate messages. Nyhan credited sports stars like Steph Curry, health care officials and entertainers who helped spread the message that the coronavirus was dangerous and that people could best protect themselves by staying home as much as possible and keeping their distance from people outside their households.
Like those celebrities, we can spread helpful information to people who believe what we say.Like those celebrities, we can spread helpful information to people who believe what we say.
Nyhan and DiResta, who has written extensively about misinformation about vaccines, said they were worried that fear-mongering or a lack of trust in government authorities will undermine a potential coronavirus vaccine. We might be able to help there, too.Nyhan and DiResta, who has written extensively about misinformation about vaccines, said they were worried that fear-mongering or a lack of trust in government authorities will undermine a potential coronavirus vaccine. We might be able to help there, too.
Maybe your brother doesn’t trust the C.D.C., Nyhan said, but he probably does trust you, his kid’s school principal and his church deacon. They should tout the importance of vaccines. Someone in our lives relies on us. And we can harness that trust to help keep ourselves informed and our communities safe.Maybe your brother doesn’t trust the C.D.C., Nyhan said, but he probably does trust you, his kid’s school principal and his church deacon. They should tout the importance of vaccines. Someone in our lives relies on us. And we can harness that trust to help keep ourselves informed and our communities safe.
We talked in Wednesday’s newsletter about people’s mixed experiences shopping on Amazon in this pandemic. There’s evidence that many are shopping more than usual at places other than Amazon.We talked in Wednesday’s newsletter about people’s mixed experiences shopping on Amazon in this pandemic. There’s evidence that many are shopping more than usual at places other than Amazon.
After years of Americans devoting bigger chunks of our online spending to Amazon, we are shifting in the other direction for now.After years of Americans devoting bigger chunks of our online spending to Amazon, we are shifting in the other direction for now.
Updated July 7, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Out of every dollar that Americans spent shopping online in the week ending April 10, about 35.5 cents was on Amazon. Until then, Amazon was getting about 40 to 44 cents of each online spending dollar, according to the market research firm Rakuten Intelligence.Out of every dollar that Americans spent shopping online in the week ending April 10, about 35.5 cents was on Amazon. Until then, Amazon was getting about 40 to 44 cents of each online spending dollar, according to the market research firm Rakuten Intelligence.
It’s hard to know exactly why. Companies like Home Depot and especially Target, plus the groceries delivery service Instacart, are getting more of our online dollars than they typically do, Rakuten figures show. It may be because we’re buying more groceries, which people don’t tend to buy on Amazon. Or Amazon’s shortages and shipping delays may be turning some people off.It’s hard to know exactly why. Companies like Home Depot and especially Target, plus the groceries delivery service Instacart, are getting more of our online dollars than they typically do, Rakuten figures show. It may be because we’re buying more groceries, which people don’t tend to buy on Amazon. Or Amazon’s shortages and shipping delays may be turning some people off.
Amazon’s delivery times, which had been hovering around two days on average, went as high as four days in mid-March, Rakuten said. Delivery speeds have started to fall back down. Shipping times of other companies, which usually take longer to deliver than Amazon, also slowed down.Amazon’s delivery times, which had been hovering around two days on average, went as high as four days in mid-March, Rakuten said. Delivery speeds have started to fall back down. Shipping times of other companies, which usually take longer to deliver than Amazon, also slowed down.
Fun fact: Before this pandemic, about 85 percent of Americans’ retail spending still happened in physical stores. If this crisis makes us shop online more, Amazon will be a big winner. But more competition might make everyone try harder for our money.Fun fact: Before this pandemic, about 85 percent of Americans’ retail spending still happened in physical stores. If this crisis makes us shop online more, Amazon will be a big winner. But more competition might make everyone try harder for our money.
When the boss cares about the details again: After years of focusing on the big picture, Amazon’s chief executive, Jeff Bezos, has dived back into day-to-day company management during the pandemic, my colleague Karen Weise reports. Bezos is participating in daily calls about product inventory, obsessing about coronavirus testing and is getting involved in Amazon’s response to public criticism.When the boss cares about the details again: After years of focusing on the big picture, Amazon’s chief executive, Jeff Bezos, has dived back into day-to-day company management during the pandemic, my colleague Karen Weise reports. Bezos is participating in daily calls about product inventory, obsessing about coronavirus testing and is getting involved in Amazon’s response to public criticism.
Is Twitter good now? That’s what a trio of my smart and hilarious colleagues debated. Personally, if my options are: scroll Twitter, wash my endless pile of dishes or have an honest thought about my own fears … then TWITTER IT IS.Is Twitter good now? That’s what a trio of my smart and hilarious colleagues debated. Personally, if my options are: scroll Twitter, wash my endless pile of dishes or have an honest thought about my own fears … then TWITTER IT IS.
TikTok is influencing how musicians title their songs. To make sure people can search for their songs online, musicians are changing vague titles like “ily” to match the snippets of lyrics people hear on TikTok, Rolling Stone writes. Dance routines on the short-video app are where many people discover new music. Also: You gotta applaud the creativity of teenagers remaking prom on TikTok. Look at these girls!TikTok is influencing how musicians title their songs. To make sure people can search for their songs online, musicians are changing vague titles like “ily” to match the snippets of lyrics people hear on TikTok, Rolling Stone writes. Dance routines on the short-video app are where many people discover new music. Also: You gotta applaud the creativity of teenagers remaking prom on TikTok. Look at these girls!
Bob Ross petting a baby deer. That’s it. Just watch it. (And if you share my love for television’s prolific, dulcet-voiced landscape painter, you will enjoy this mystery of where all his artwork went.)Bob Ross petting a baby deer. That’s it. Just watch it. (And if you share my love for television’s prolific, dulcet-voiced landscape painter, you will enjoy this mystery of where all his artwork went.)
You can reach us at ontech@nytimes.com.You can reach us at ontech@nytimes.com.
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