https://drive.google.com/file/d/10BUoKNP-7HYi35oI-eEY-EjPybuHfpkU/view
What do you, personally, think you will remember most about this interview a year from now?
In a year from now, the aspect of this interview that I will remember most is how to effectively communicate statistics. Alyssa and Spiegelhlter explain early on in the interview that in order to successfully convey percentages or other statistics, one must clearly state the denominator that they are using. In order to do this we should use the framework of “___ out of ___” instead of just stating a percentage. Communicating probability is something people do constantly and often these probabilities are very important. An example of this importance is brought up in the interview when Alyssa and Spiegelhlter discuss COVID statistics and the lack of understanding surrounding COVID death rates. This miscommunication that occurred in mainstream media may have created a much greater fear of death than what was needed.
How do you think any aspect of the interview will affect your own future, or society's future?
I think almost the entire interview is applicable to the future of society but I don’t find that there is a specific aspect that will have a direct impact on my future. Although, as I explained above, the impact of a simple miscommunication will resonate with me and I will keep the significance of that impact in my mind when communicating with others, I think Spiegelhlter’s point on misinformation will have a larger impact on our society’s future than myself. Misinformation is all over the place today and has a direct impact on the way people conduct themselves and conduct their actions towards others. Therefore, cleaning up the miscommunication of things like death or infection percentages will allow people to live in a more cohesive and peaceful manner.