What Is “Representative”?

Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

When we’re deciding what’s important, we need to be thoughtful about the voices we’re listening to - specifically that they’re worth listening to.

Twitter is probably the most prominent example today. While there are about 450 million users on the platform, about 10% of that user base contributes 80% of the tweets.

Now consider that that 10% is, in all likelihood, not representative of the population (any specific population you’re looking for), and you can understand why one needs more than a pinch of salt when using the platform as a barometer of what’s going on in that world. 

So when we get worked up that the world is moving too far to the left or the right, or that companies are ‘good’ or ‘evil’, or that this person is “the devil” (or otherwise), we really should take a pause and consider the source. Life is rarely quite to the extreme that we might be inclined to think it is. 

The point is, when it comes to “noise”, there’s a good measure of self selection taking place. It’s worth taking that into account before we make sweeping generalizations that “this” or “that” is the truth (whatever that is).

That isn’t to suggest that there is no ‘truth’, of course. Real facts, based on data, coupled with consistent evidence via consistent data will tell you what the truth really is.

It’s just worth remembering that it isn't necessarily going to come from the loudest folks in the room.