finleyf88•6d agoProlific Poster

My neighbor's cell tower theory fell apart when I actually checked the signal meter

I was out in my backyard in Glendale last summer when my neighbor Gary started going off about how the new 5G tower down the street was causing his headaches. He had all these printouts from some website showing radiation patterns and everything. So I pulled out my own signal meter I use for termite inspections and walked over to the spot where he sits in his living room. The reading was barely different from my own house three blocks away. Has anyone else had a friend or neighbor try to prove a conspiracy with bad data that falls apart with basic testing?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix1476d ago

Started reading your post and it reminded me of that thing people do where they grab the first piece of "evidence" they see and run with it without double checking. It's like when someone tells me real estate prices are crashing because they saw one house sit on the market for a few weeks, but the actual market data shows prices holding steady. Once people get an idea stuck in their head, they start looking for things that prove them right and ignore everything else, like how Gary probably ignored the fact that his wifi router was right next to his couch. Your meter test was a good reality check, most people just need to actually test their theories with real numbers instead of internet printouts.

eric_murray264d ago

Confirmation bias is just human nature, happens everywhere from forums to buying a used car.

holly_sanchez754d agoTop Commenter

Hang on, I gotta push back a little on that. Confirmation bias might be common, but I don't think it's just "human nature" like we can't help it. Plenty of people learn to check their assumptions before jumping to conclusions, it's a choice.