This is my response to @abundance.tribe's Question of Last week as is often the case I'm a few days late with my response to this one.
Given my account name here on Hive my response to this question is going to be pretty obvious - research is of critical importance in nearly everything I do in life, and quite often to the detriment of my actually doing anything!
However, I lack the capacity to research everything personally so I have to outsource my research to third parties, which means I also spend a lot of time researching the credentials of those who I rely on to research topics rigorously - and by rigorously I mean that I look for researchers who think about the right indicators to use and use appropriate methodology to provide valid, reliable and representative data.
Research and my sociology career
I am a sociology teacher by trade, so naturally research methods is something I think about a lot - in sociology questions always come down to research methods - what processes and what data have sociologists used to come to their conclusions?
I see several TERRIBLE examples of TERRIBLE research methods being used here on Hive, when people base blog posts on sub-standard research methods - classic examples are futuristic posts predicting the future trends of Bitcoin based on surveys with unrepresentative samples or which have used leading questions.
HOWEVER, there are also several decent posts which critically evaluate mainstream views on the extent of Covid-19 for example, picking up on the poor methodology used to measure the spread of the virus.
But it's not just research in the academic sense of the word that I'm interested in and active with, I also employ a lot of researching in making crucial life decisions...
Researching large consumer items
Whenever in the past I've spent more than a couple of hundred dollars on an item, such as a washing machine, fridge, or mattress, I've taken out a subscription to Which Magazine - a consumer organisation which tests products under objective conditions, comparing all the products in a range according to the same criteria.
It's a pretty simple model of research - the company has an excellent reputation, I've found them very reliable in the past and I've managed to pick up relatively cheap consumer goods that are top quality for a relatively decent price.
Compared to reviews on Amazon for example, which can easily be manipulated by companies paying for positive feedback, Which is much more secure.
Researching Crypto
Something else I've been obsessing mildly about recently is where to allocate my crypto funds to - I've spent a lot of time over the past couple of years researching over 100 alt coins, and MOST of them I've decided ARE NOT worth buying, but a handful I've gone with.
AVA/ ADA/ MATIC/ ETH/ RUNE AND BTC are the ones I've decided to plump for, not in that order, and along with Hive and Leo obviously.
Fundamentals are pretty important to me when it comes to investing - and sometimes one simple fact alone - the mathematical certainty of limited Bitcoin Supply is enough to convince me that one shouldn't bet against Bitcoin compared to FIAT money!
I'm not an expert in crypto so digging into coins is a challenge for me, but I don't generally buy on a whim.
Researching Where to Move - it's not all about objective data!
When I make big life decisions I'm pretty obsessive over getting these right, and here I've spent a lot of time crunching numbers and thinking about the long term impacts on my cost of living.
I chose to purchase a house in Hereford, for example, based on the property price index and the Quality of Life Index - I did have a number of places in mind, Sheffield was one, but when I visited there it just didn't feel right - I got a totally different vibe when I went to Hereford... and when I bought my house, the feel was just right - of course I did my due diligence via a lawyer (again outsourcing) but I guess this shows that research isn't enough on its own - sometimes feeling has to be right too.
The same is true when I bought my land, the person I bought of seemed nice enough, and it all checked out, but the feel of it was crucial in my purchase decision!
Final thoughts
Research of all sorts is crucial to my life. I don't know where I'd be without it. In fact it's so important that I'm constantly thinking about the most useful indicators I can use to direct my life going forwards - in other words not just researching but thinking about the most effective sources to use when doing research, I mean when you spend so much time weighing up life choices as it is, there's already precious little time left to actually live one's life after all!
I loved your final thought... You're basically using permaculture as a research method, or at least some of its principles!
I am saddened by how much of the world's population isn't tought to think critically. When you look at the whole covid situation you can really see how many are trusting third parties research without question.
Thanks for Which Magazine... I'll look into that as we're getting a new home soon and will need updated appliances and things like that!
Ah yes Permaculture is one constant life experiment, great way to live.
Sociology is at least helping to get people thinking critically, it can be mind blowing for a teenager.
And Which is great - sorted me out with a top quality mattress recently for a third of the price of those of basically the same quality.
Our little human goes to a school you may be interested in if you don't know it already. It's called Sudbury, the teenagers there are so amazing when it comes to self ownership and thought independance. No age segregation either which makes for some really cool natural mentorships, from kidergarden through high school.
It sounds like a great school, I've always thought age segregation and educating in batches was a bit odd!
I would go as far as saying age segregation is unatural!
I'm familiar with the importance of research in my line of work. I'm so used to it, that I've had to significantly adjust to any other form of writing when I arrived at steem/hive. I kept most of my time dedicated to stem tribes because the flow of information there was similar to what I was used to on the outside.
Pretty much the same with me!
You have rightly said the methods of research matters alot in determining how reliable it is going to be.
It is always better to do one's own research before taking any decision be it small or big, be it of financial importance or general life. Even before deciding for a life partner, research is important. Personal intuition and subjective feelings shouldn't also be overlooked. Sometimes every things seems cool and authentic but it turns out the other way.
Can't say fairer than that, I agree!
Facts are overrated. There are too many facts, but only one truth.
Research is good, but can only get you so far...
I take you're talking existentially here.
My Nutribullet is superior to the cheaper blender i bought in Portugal - the facts yield that simple truth!
Glad you gave that example!
The blender might be superior at juicing, but the truth is that shredded fruit, veg and nuts is terrible nutrition.
In fairness I was using 'truth' in a very narrow sense of the word!
What I was trying to express:
Research is good, but if facts and data keep you from seeing simple truths right in front of you, it's dangerous.
Cynicism! Love it! 😄