What are some examples of public information exceeding private information?

Public information exceeding private information can be seen in various scenarios. For instance, the media often portrays events in a way that does not match their actual frequency or severity in the world. A classic example is the representation of crime rates. Despite a decline in actual crime rates, media coverage of crimes can increase, creating a perception that crime is on the rise. Another example can be seen in the stock market, where public information about a company's performance can greatly exceed the private information held by individual investors, leading to speculation and market volatility.

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Be wary of cases where public information seems to exceed private information. The representation of events in the media does not match frequency in the world. Sociologist Barry Glassner noted that murders in the United States declined by 20% throughout the 1990s, and yet the mention of gun violence on American news increased by 600%.

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Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths

Can computer science teach us the secrets of life? Perhaps not, but they can shed light on how certain everyday processes work and how to exploit them...

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