Crash Course: Why anti-vax misinformation is so hard to fight

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. The psychological reason anti-vaccine misinformation is so hard to fight Just 20 years ago, if you wanted to find information about a subject, you'd have pick up a newspaper or — get this — go to a library and check out a book. A Pew Charitable Trust poll from this January, however, shows how radically the ground on information gathering has shifted, with a whopping 53% reporting that social media was their primary source for news and information. This is a radical and unprecedented change, and we're just now beginning to wrap our heads around what it means for society. Doreen Dodgen-Magee, a clinical psychologist who studies the intersection of technology and health, [penned a great piece for Salon this weekend]( exploring the reasons anti-vaccine misinformation is so hard to fight. It's no surprise that a big reason is the attention-seeking behavior and toxic feedback loops that social media relies upon to drive engagement (and, by extension, profits). It's not talked about much in the mainstream press, but once you begin paying attention it's hard to ignore the repeated calls on the far-right's anti-vaccine fringe to "do your research" or "look into it yourself." With the vast array of readily available and blatantly false information surrounding this, and many other issues, it's a call that's ultimately intended to bolster a psychological response called "commitment bias," a close cousin of the "sunk cost fallacy." Both are important in keeping anti-vaccine adherents as soldiers to the cause — the more time and energy you've invested in a particular viewpoint, the harder it is to shake. You can [read Dodgen-Magee's full essay here]( though I found this passage on how to go about persuading an anti-vaccine (or vaccine skeptical) friend or family member particularly poignant: "We must stop shaming them and, instead, invite them into spaces where they are safe to step back from the investments they've made in their public positions so they can consider new information without it challenging their sense of self or belonging. "This means more private messages and fewer elevated comments in social media spaces, quieter conversations, and, possibly offers of voice-to-voice conversations. It means more calm questions that promote critical thinking in social media spaces and less calling out. Leading these conversations by finding something that you can agree on is a good start. (For instance: "I know we've both invested a lot of time in informing and expressing our viewpoints. I know that this subject matters a lot to both of us which is why I'd really like to have a heartfelt conversation rather than a public shamefest.") It means embracing the motto of "doing no harm," as well as "taking no shit" as we work toward the freedom for all to live in a world where the openness to change one's mind is as valued as stirring the social media pot." Can you get "long COVID" from a breakthrough infection? Up to 10% of COVID patients can experience lingering symptoms long after the virus has cleared their body, according to researchers at the University of Alabama. Entire communities have cropped up online of people referring to themselves as "long haulers," who report months of fatigue, brain fog, confusion, shortness of breath, headaches and chest pain, among other symptoms. It's a frightening prospect that has many wondering: is it possible to develop these symptoms on a "breakthrough" case after vaccination? The short answer is "probably." The long answer is "Probably, but it's significantly less likely." My colleague [Nicole Karlis spoke with Heather Bury]( a 43-year-old Chicago woman who reports similar long-term symptoms after being infected with COVID — despite receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April. She was later diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia in both lungs, and though she was discharged a week later, Bury still has "so many crazy lingering conditions" nearly three months later. Brain fog, exhaustion, concentration issues, having trouble finding words, migraines — "the list really seems endless." Every doctor she's dealt with says she's the first breakthrough case of long COVID they've seen, though it's hard to classify for certain given the lack of data surrounding breakthrough cases in general. All of the studies exploring this question are small, and hard to extrapolate — but experts say there's not much evidence to rule it out. "I don't think we know that it does happen yet because we're still so early in the process of understanding what happens when people are infected despite vaccination," Dr. Dave O'Connor, a professor of virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Salon. "But biologically it's hard to think of reasons why it won't happen." "I expect that we'll be getting more clarity on this over the next couple of months." (Photo via Ameer Al Mohammedaw via Getty Images) - Mike Lindell admits to [hiding GOP official facing FBI probe in a "safe house"]( - Mike Richards is out as "Jeopardy!" host amid scandal — [but we're not rid of him yet]( - Ted Cruz [hired family members to Senate staff]( raising eyebrows in Washington - [Monica Lewinsky fittingly supplants Jeffrey Toobin’s consulting role on FX's "Impeachment”]( - Texas GOP [set to pass voting restrictions]( after Democrats break ranks and return to state - Florida’s [COVID surge is so huge, it's causing a water shortage]( in Orlando - Why staunch atheists [show higher morals than the proudly pious]( - Maggie Q returns to action with "The Protégé" — [She spoke with Salon about playing an assassin]( the "toxic" modeling industry and activism in LA - Some Americans [were right all along on Afghanistan](. Will their voices still be ignored? - Scientists finally [know what happened to Perseverance's mysterious disappearing rock]( sample - Infowars host Owen Shroyer [charged for breaching Capitol grounds]( Jan. 6 - [No, Johnny Depp isn’t being boycotted]( — he’s a powerful man with options - FBI [found little evidence Jan. 6 insurrection was an organized attack]( - Former Trump insider [reveals how Stephen Miller's "racist hysteria" sabotaged Afghan refugee]( effort - And, finally, [fry jarred artichoke hearts until crispy, then toss with lemon vinaigrette]( for a perfect summer salad Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. D.C. bomb threat proves Jan. 6 threat is just beginning Earlier this month, [I wrote about a Department of Justice memo]( circulated to local law enforcement agencies over the increasing domestic terrorism threat posed by hardcore supporters of former President Donald Trump after a summer of increasingly bombastic election conspiracies. "Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized," the memo noted. Well, it finally happened: A Trump supporter claiming to have an explosive device in his truck parked near the Library of Congress this week and got into a nearly five-hour standoff with police. "The revolution is on, it's here, it's today," he said in a livestream broadcast on Facebook. [Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues]( that this is all an extension of the Jan. 6 insurrection, which the Republican party has increasingly supported through its rhetoric in recent weeks. Take Rep. Mo Brooks, who — despite being mired in litigation over his alleged role in inciting the Jan. 6 attack — took the time this week [to say he "understands" the bomber]( for wanting to level several city blocks and kill thousands over President Joe Biden's electoral victory. "This kind of 'violence is bad, but...' rhetoric is about recasting the perpetrators as victims, people whose violence was not their fault, because they were supposedly pushed too far — in this case, by American people using their legal right to vote to pick Biden over Trump." "As long as Trump and his allies keep the incitement up, the threat is all too real." (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) - "[A People’s History of Black Twitter]( WIRED - "[Owen Wilson Is Doing Great, Thanks]( Esquire - "[The Queen of Delacacies]( Bitter Southerner - "[Dispatches from the “Reconstruction” of Afghanistan, circa 2004]( Literary Hub Bill Maher's anti-vax booster rant During his regular Friday taping of "Real Time," Bill Maher [made a point to mention that he never wanted a COVID-19 vaccine]( — though, being a good person, he acquiesced and got it anyway. But a booster shot? Fuhgeddaboudit. "I mean, I don't want a booster," Maher said. "I never wanted the vaccine, I took one for the team." "Every eight months you're going to put this sh*t in me? I don't know about that." Luckily ex-Congressman Max Rose, a Democrat from New York, was on hand to shut down the tangent. "That's crazy," he said. " I know you're trying to be cute... but it's important for people to take [boosters] and it's important that people trust those who are telling them to take it." (Photo via Getty/Kevin Winter) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](