H.I. No. 1: Being Wrong on The Internet
| "Being Wrong on The Internet" | |
|---|---|
| Hello Internet episode | |
| Episode no. | 1 |
| Presented by | |
| Original release date | January 31, 2014 |
| Running time | 38:45 |
"H.I. #1: Being Wrong on The Internet" is the first episode of Hello Internet, released on January 31, 2014. At 38 minutes and 45 seconds in length, it is the shortest episode of the podcast, and unlike the episodes to succeed it, it has no sponsor. Grey & Brady talk about what it's like to be wrong in front of thousands of people.
Show Notes
Summary
0:00:00: Grey tells Brady of his fears about making mistakes in his videos and being corrected. Brady says that he is less concerned since his own videos focus on experts speaking extemporaneously.
0:08:34: They discuss what to do after errors are made, including the mistakes section of the Economist and Grey's UK video. Grey reminisces over coloring Northern Ireland orange, miscoloring countries, using the wrong terms and pronunciations, and misordering lists.
0:12:46: Brady tells how mistakes in newspapers are much worse, including listing the wrong time of a parade and advising readers to look directly at the sun.
0:15:20: Grey talks about the "error that burns in [his] soul": incorrectly clarifying that the country of Ireland is officially called the Republic of Ireland. Grey tells how this is despite the fact that he himself is a citizen of Ireland and owns a passport which he referenced before making the video.
0:18:41: Grey explains why it is difficult to correct errors on YouTube videos, and why this is both a "blessing and a curse" since it forces him to move on and live with mistakes.
0:20:36: Brady talks about the news phrase "Wrong, but not for long" and how risking wrongness through speculation is potentially the better choice. Grey says he has a problem with this practice because it may lead to misinformed readers.
0:25:33: Grey covers the issue of limiting production time of his videos and stopping despite imperfection. He uses the example of not being satisfied with his nocebo effect research even when receiving script approval from medical professionals in the field. He adds that he will not be covering a medical topic soon due to the added stress of conveying incorrect medical information to viewers
0:30:38: Brady asks Grey about the validity of internet sources. As a former teacher, Grey talks about his approval of Wikipedia for general fact-checking, but has concern with citations which lack or misrepresent sources. Grey says that he considers newspapers and TV news to be the "bottom-of-the-barrel" in terms of accuracy. Brady comments that he will avoid sharing the podcast with his former news colleagues.
0:34:02: Grey points out that a research organization's bias may be due to the statistics themselves. Grey begins to conclude by saying how, in the end, a source's reliability is simply a judgment call that he has to make.
0:35:11: Grey tangents on to the topic of historical figures whose very existence is uncertain, using the example of a certain Greek philosopher, while Brady brings up Robin Hood. Grey comments that, due to this inherent uncertainty of history, he has to carefully word his videos to avoid mistakes.
0:37:14: Brady brings up the tendency of incorrect information which propagates like wildfire on the internet. Grey adds a quote about this topic, but notes that the origin of the quote is fittingly uncertain. Grey concludes by saying that nothing can be known 100%, and Brady responds by saying that he knows 100% that their time has come to an end.
