Research is an essential component of any type of learning. In the last post we looked at the importance of seeking out different sources of information from experts, forecasts, and history, to name a few, in determining our standards, goals and methods.
But we have millions of potential sources of information, and as humans we all have a tendency to seek out information that is familiar, comfortable, that we agree with.
Exaggerating that tendency are the various internet services that provide us posts and ads based on our past viewing. If I click an ad about trampolines, even by accident, I will continue to get ads about trampolines. Annoying in this case, and harmless because I was never interested in trampolines and the chance that I will ever buy one is zero.
A little more disturbing is something that has happened. I clicked a video link on YouTube featuring a very popular public figure that I instinctively dislike. Watching the video confirmed my impression of him as misguided at best, and possibly very damaging. But now YouTube continually suggests videos featuring him, and the channels that love him, and information similar to what he promotes, nearly all at least as questionable, and some much worse — because they are all popular with the same group of people, or have the same keywords, or are promoted by the same advertisers, or however these hidden algorithms work.
I use YouTube as an example, but just about every site works this way. I don’t “blame” YouTube. Their algorithms are presumably intended to be neutral (though that doesn’t mean they are actually neutral), and I believe I have turned on the settings that allow for this behaviour because it does give me some benefits, but the potential unintended consequences are great. I am a conscious consumer of information and I have to exert a continual effort to validate my choices.
Leaving aside the technology aspects of this issue, in general it has always been important to make some judgements: how do you decide who to listen to, who’s right, who’s to be trusted. Should I listen to the person in the bar, the book that’s prominently displayed in the bookstore window, the talk show guest, the news channel commentator, the documentary filmmaker?
This is not as simple as it sounds, and we’ll take a few posts to delve into this. The questions in this exercise are challenging ones. I’m asking you to take a hard look in the mirror and review what you actually do, why you do it, and how well it’s working. Don’t let yourself off the hook by evading the questions, but do be gentle with yourself with the answers. We’re all human, none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, and all have lots to learn — that’s presumably why you’ve made it this far in this learning project!
Exercise
1. In what situations do you do a lot of research before making a decision? Why?
2. In what situations do you NOT do much research before making a decision? Why
3. What are your preferred sources? Why?
4. Who do you trust/distrust? Why?
5. How competitive are you?
6. Are you used to being right?
7. What’s your history with authorities? Parents? Teachers? Governments? Institutions?
8. How do you think your answers to the above affect your research habits — what you seek, and how you view what you encounter?
9. Do you think the decisions you have made are the best possible, based on how they turned out for you and everyone else impacted?
About Learning
Proceeding without the details. I’m a planner. I like to know the goals, blocks of work, activities, effort, and a schedule. This effort is a bit different. After years of working in related areas I believe I know the lay of the land, have the essential skills and the capacity to learn new ones (and get help as resources permit), and having done some high level planning, I now feel sufficiently confident (and at the same time blissfully ignorant), to just jump in and let it evolve. I feel that I can avoid making unrecoverable mistakes, and can at minimum be micro-helpful. I learn so much just by doing it, and future paths and opportunities will arise that I perhaps could plan for, but that are just as successfully addressed as I go. This is not true of more complex or unfamiliar domains.
References
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me), Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson