Assignment 2 - Daniel Boxall by

Use of Scientific Language that is Meaningless

danielboxall — 2025-03-23 02:45:34 UTC

This watchlist item is very important as it works very often with many people, especially people who are not very informed or educated on the topic in question. Many people use it to convince others to use their product because their product has that other brands don't talk about. When people hear that, they don't even think about what it actually means and they just buy to product because they think its better than the other brands.

Deliberately creates Mystery

danielboxall — 2025-03-26 15:30:34 UTC

Most people are curious by nature and something being mysterious often gets people's interests and some become very invested in it. Mystery keeps people engaged and interested in the topic which is why this topic is so prevalent in this field. A big example of this are creature sightings such as bigfoot or the mothman both of which have sightings but there is never any proof of such sightings happening.

Convinces by faith and belief (in spite of evidence)

danielboxall — 2025-03-26 16:44:53 UTC

People tend to trust what they already know, and if something is similar it makes it easier to adopt it into their beliefs. Believing without proof can also bring comfort, giving people a sense of purpose and security. Society and culture pass down beliefs, and questioning them can make someone feel like an outsider. Any major or minor religion could be an example of this watchlist item.

Confirmation Bias

danielboxall — 2025-03-27 20:29:26 UTC

Instead of constantly questioning everything, some people just stick to what they know which saves time and effort. It does tend to lead people to have a smaller worldview than usual if they don't keep an open mind. Many people unknowingly participate in this red flag, many religious people tend to narrow their worldviews due to religious literature included in their religions.

Mystical Energy

danielboxall — 2025-03-27 21:21:36 UTC

Many people find comfort in the thought of a magical energy beyond what we can see and that can influence our lives. Over the history of the world, many groups of people have had different types of energy(chi, aura and blessings), nowadays it's still similar but they are more available for the everyday person to access online. Many people don't look for any evidence on it and just trust whatever it tells them

Proof by Verbosity

danielboxall — 2025-03-28 03:43:38 UTC

Many people who have a position of power tend to be good with using words to get what they want. In political debates they use long strings of words and try to not let the other side to say anything in response. Now with the internet, people have more access to information and people get overwhelmed with the amount of information there which can lead them to assume anything that is long can also be correct.

Simplicity

danielboxall — 2025-03-29 00:19:08 UTC

We all tend to try to find the first and simplest answer especially when we are in a situation that is out of the norm. Understanding many things requires one to think critically about it and be open to new things as well as an ability to accept something that is uncertain as facts can change very often. Getting a simple answer that you completely understand may be easier but it won't explain everything away unless they assume its something that is "magical" or "spiritual" in nature. An example of this can be faith based healing, the belief that dedication to a deity can heal a disease or ailment.

Suppression by Authorities

danielboxall — 2025-03-29 00:38:37 UTC

Nowadays, this is a very prevalent issue in our society. With the internet more and more accessible everyday, the spread of information is getting faster and faster every day. Governments try to control how fast it goes and what their populations get to see whether its for political power, monetary or something else it does happen a lot. Suppression has always been around however with technology it has become very easy to do so and harder to escape it.

Ideological Support

danielboxall — 2025-03-29 01:04:06 UTC

Humans naturally look for groups to be part of, they tend to look for people who align with their views. When they can identify with a group, they start to trust them and over time, it can definitely develop into an unhealthy relationship for example: a cult. Cults are well known for taking this approach towards recruiting in this manner. When they feel used to being with them, they show them how they are and being scared of being rejected they acceot that small part of the group so that they can stay "in" with the group.

Agenticity

danielboxall — 2025-03-29 02:46:58 UTC

It all comes down to how our brains work, we have evolved to recognize patterns. In media we consume, there is almost always a person behind large events that occur and some think that its the same for real life as well. Its also simpler to think that a deity or something placed everything where it should be and that they have a purpose towards them. Everyone has their own way of thinking and believing in things and this is one of the ways they express themselves