Phobia caused by knowledge Space Weather

[Webtrip294]

Hello, I'd like to bring a less scientific and more psychological question to this forum. Has anyone ever felt a rather irrational fear when it came slowly learning more and more about space weather and the events that occur around it? I'd highly appreciate I could get the chance to speak to someone I can find some comfort about all of this.

I have recently began looking at news of space weather, I never had any prior knowledge to deep subjects related to space, but information about such phenomenon has caught my interest. For a while I'd follow information sunspots, the geomagnetic field, CMEs and so on; but a concern began diving into me as I began looking deeper into the subject. Things like the weakening of Geomagnetic Field, CMEs that could destroy the technology of the planet, complete reversal of the poles, things that sound like complete madness and a prelude to the end of times! Of course, this is all surface level, when looked further, there are articles that mention the possibilities of these events as much ones that deny the idea completely. After all, the Sun didn't destroy the world millions of years ago, why would it now? From what I can tell in all of this, these subjects are hard to research and nearly impossible to tell 100% an outcome of such a difficult subjects, but such improbability doesn't exactly ease my mind about all of this.

Although, what has calmed my mind was seeing how enthusiastic a lot of people were about Space Weather (SpaceWeatherLive's Twitter in particular commenting on Auroras with a cheerful attitude and even calming people down about CMEs), many seemed thrilled in its research with a new event being a new possibility to learn, but I also saw in other medias how it was full of fearful people; they were always shouting about an unforeseen terrible future.

SpaceWeatherLive seems to have the most friendly environment out of all of them, so I wanted to ask here. What do you guys think about this phobia the knowledge of space weather brings? Do you think they're justified? Or just full of people like me, without much experience in the subject and without a concrete side to lean into when all this newfound information comes sinking in all at once.
I do not wish to spread that same fear through this thread, I just want to learn more from those who are aware of the subject since I don't have many people to directly ask it myself.

[Marcel de Bont]

First of all thank you for the kind words and welcome aboard. I think the biggest problem right now is misinformation. People who are new to space weather head to Google to learn more about this subject and the first thing they often come across is YouTube. What do we find on YouTube? 9 out of the 10 videos about space weather are about doomsday scenarios. Why? Because those videos generate views and a loyal following. People became scared that their lives one day might be totally different than it is right now because of that scary bright orb in the sky. These websites and content creators thrive on that for the ultimate goal. Money. 

We do not run SWL to make a profit. We are lucky to have enough of an income to cover our costs and any excess money goes to improving the website and everything related. We run SWL to provide reliable real time data for people to interpret on their own and use as they see fit. But perhaps even more important is that we want people to learn about space weather. Read the help articles and ask questions which we and our community try to answer to the best of our time and ability. Calm down people with irrational fears fueled most often by well... fake news!

Having this community where we have a couple of people that we feel share our vision (you know who you are) is a blessing for us. It does not mean we automatically dismiss people with alternative ideas (that's why we have this Other forum) as long as the discussions remain civil. There is still so much to learn about space weather why not learn together! But getting rid of the doomsday prophets who's only goal is to scare people and have those people realize space weather is a wonderful thing which is nothing to be scared about is for me at least an important goal.

[Webtrip294]

25 minutes ago, Marcel de Bont said:

First of all thank you for the kind words and welcome aboard. I think the biggest problem right now is misinformation. People who are new to space weather head to Google to learn more about this subject and the first thing they often come across is YouTube. What do we find on YouTube? 9 out of the 10 videos about space weather are about doomsday scenarios. Why? Because those videos generate views and a loyal following. People became scared that their lives one day might be totally different than it is right now because of that scary bright orb in the sky. These websites and content creators thrive on that for the ultimate goal. Money. 

We do not run SWL to make a profit. We are lucky to have enough of an income to cover our costs and any excess money goes to improving the website and everything related. We run SWL is to provide reliable real time data for people to interpret on their own and use as they see fit. But perhaps even more important is that we want people to learn about space weather. Read the help articles and ask questions which we and our community try to answer to the best of our time and ability. Calm down people with irrational fears fueled most often by well... fake news!

Having this community where we have a couple of people that we feel share our vision (you know who you are) is a blessing for us. It does not mean we automatically dismiss people with alternative ideas (that's why we have this Other forum) as long as the discussions remain civil. There is still so much to learn about space weather why not learn together! But getting rid of the doomsday prophets who's only goal is to scare people and have those people realize space weather is a wonderful thing which is nothing to be scared about is for me at least an important goal.

Thank you for the kind answer. I'll admit I was one of those people who went to Google and then to Youtube and found myself tangled in a web articles and videos. It does really feel like what is shown in the surface level subjects about Space Weather is painted by the wrong people in the wrong light to attract attention, but also finding information that's not only accurate but accessible (with me being ESL, it becomes difficult to translate the more complicated parts of an article/research) is somewhat difficult (I suppose that grants even more attention to the people who make the false videos).

Having someone actually come forward and confirm certain doubts and direct those looking for the Space Weather content in the right path is really helpful. Thank you. The lack of knowledge sometimes really brings a certain shiver but I also like seeing the enjoyment others have for the subject.

[Quilloz]

8 hours ago, Webtrip294 said:

I have recently began looking at news of space weather, I never had any prior knowledge to deep subjects related to space, but information about such phenomenon has caught my interest. For a while I'd follow information sunspots, the geomagnetic field, CMEs and so on; but a concern began diving into me as I began looking deeper into the subject. Things like the weakening of Geomagnetic Field, CMEs that could destroy the technology of the planet, complete reversal of the poles, things that sound like complete madness and a prelude to the end of times! Of course, this is all surface level, when looked further, there are articles that mention the possibilities of these events as much ones that deny the idea completely. After all, the Sun didn't destroy the world millions of years ago, why would it now? From what I can tell in all of this, these subjects are hard to research and nearly impossible to tell 100% an outcome of such a difficult subjects, but such improbability doesn't exactly ease my mind about all of this.

That's usually because most YouTubers or news sites like to hype up the dangers of CMEs and whatever else the sun can dish out, but never the actual science because science doesn't bring clicks. Doomsday and End times propaganda do. And while I do agree that there are indeed things to worry about as far as CMEs are concerned. Most of what those places say are exaggerated to the point of becoming fiction. And it's either the creator or author of said "information", or the people commenting on them (You will not believe just how many people out there claim that a Killshot CME is "God's Wrath" or a prelude to the Rapture or some nonsense along those lines).

Point is, as easy as it is to get wrapped up in such fear (believe me, I know first-hand that sensation). Sometimes you really do have to stop and question whether or not they actually mean well, or are just wanting to push their own narrative while ignoring the facts/twisting them to fit said narrative. it's especially common on YouTube where there's people trying to claim up and down that the sun's going into a GSM (despite plenty of evidence to the contrary as of late), or they're on the other end of the spectrum and claiming that the sun's going to take us out on this or that date because of how much more active it's getting. Point is, either way things aren't going to be as cut and dry on the site. The same applies to news sites, as they want those precious clicks (especially the tabloids who hype up the end of the world so much, it might as well be a fetish).

[Archmonoth]

11 hours ago, Webtrip294 said:

SpaceWeatherLive seems to have the most friendly environment out of all of them, so I wanted to ask here. What do you guys think about this phobia the knowledge of space weather brings?

Fear is often the first reaction to new information, especially larger systems. I remember being afraid when i was learning how to drive a car. The kinetic force and the tragic consequences drunk driving for example, is enough to give you nightmares. However, after many years of driving, the idea becomes mundane, even trivial. 

 

11 hours ago, Webtrip294 said:

Do you think they're justified? Or just full of people like me, without much experience in the subject and without a concrete side to lean into when all this newfound information comes sinking in all at once.

There are many publicly accessible sources of mass information, like dictionaries and encyclopedias. There is even a nifty site for tracking locusts in eastern Africa/Ethiopia : Desert Locust situation update 3 September 2021 (fao.org)

 

11 hours ago, Webtrip294 said:

I do not wish to spread that same fear through this thread, I just want to learn more from those who are aware of the subject since I don't have many people to directly ask it myself.

I think learning more about a subject allows you to navigate the subject with a bit more confidence, even without complete knowledge.  

Edited September 6, 2021 by Archmonoth

[Drax Spacex]

I was going to enter a contest to guess the date of the End of the World.  But then I thought, well if I win, where do I go to collect my prize money???

My point being it's good to have a sense of humor about these things.  In time you will begin to recognize which posts and videos are purely science and which are purely entertainment.  If you watch both, try to keep them in their proper context.

The bottom line is nobody knows if or when a Doomsday Event might happen.  But it does no good to worry about it.  If anything, it might encourage more people to be good and to be nicer to each other, just in case.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Drax Spacex
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[Kaimbridge]

On 9/6/2021 at 9:01 AM, Webtrip294 said:

I'll admit I was one of those people who went to Google and then to Youtube and found myself tangled in a web articles and videos. It does really feel like what is shown in the surface level subjects about Space Weather is painted by the wrong people in the wrong light to attract attention, but also finding information that's not only accurate but accessible....

If you want decent video material, particularly forecast‐type, you want to visit Dr. Tamitha Skov’s www.SpaceWeatherWoman.com site, which includes a “regular weather”‐like video forecast at the bottom of the page.

She also has a Twitter page!

[Marcel de Bont]

Tamitha does a wonderful job. She sits on mountains of knowledge due to her background in the field and her space weather classes are fantastic. She dives into great detail in each and every class so if you want expert knowledge and really want to learn about every single details her videos are a much watch. I also learned a thing or two from her classes! The only thing I am not 100% sold on is how she sometimes presents her space weather news whenever there is a little solar flare or CME. Even the tiniest CMEs sometimes get a lot of hype from her but that's the only thing really. We prefer to be a bit more careful (or realistic) in our forecasts especially when LASCO shows very little but to each their own. But again, she really knows her stuff and her classes are a must watch if you really want to become a space weather expert.