Information Crisis

<p class=ql-align-center><strong>This is a book every citizen should read. -SY MONTGOMERY <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>The Soul of an Octopu</em>s and editor of <em>The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2019</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>The rapid and ubiquitous spread of information has failed to remedy one of humanity's most enduring challenges: making accurate sense of the world. Instead a constellation of factors influencing how we interact with information-and in particular scientific information-has prevented us from digesting and adequately confronting many of the greatest problems of our time from climate change to pandemics.</p><p><br></p><p>The book an essential read for non-scientists and scientists alike offers both an analysis of this burgeoning crisis of (mis)information overload and a practical guide for navigating it. Soplop argues that becoming a more discerning and less vulnerable consumer or producer of health and science information is critical.</p><p><br></p><p>Soplop has created an indispensable primer for reimagining how we think about and communicate what science really entails including its profound social value and its many limitations. She also presents a series of engaging case studies-the decades-long disinformation campaign to sow doubt in climate change the schemes in the wellness industry the push for pseudoscience in the science classroom the century-old rhetoric of the anti-vaccination movement and the nation's unfathomable COVID-19 response-demonstrating how players across society employ common and therefore easily identifiable tactics of distorting scientific information to manipulate us for power and profit. In vivid prose Soplop crafts a compelling and hopeful case that building a stronger foundation of science and media literacy can empower us to improve our lives both personally and collectively.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>