No enemy is worse than bad advice.
- Sophocles -
No matter the topic, there's an expert on it.
That's not a sarcastic remark, it's my belief. There are some incredibly smart, informed and knowledgeable people out there who, in their field, could be called an expert. Of that there is no doubt.
No matter the topic, there's an expert on it.
That is a sarcastic remark, because there are some incredibly egotistical, hubristic dumbasses who think they are an expert, or portray themselves to be...and there's plenty of dumbasses who are willing to listen, and some special cases who actually act upon what they hear from these false experts.
I recently read a post about the cryptocurrency markets which made me laugh; in truth I don't read many, but most make me laugh, or cringe. I wasn't laughing in humour though, it was more of a laugh of derision, scorn and incredulity.
It was one of those, the market is up so that's really really totally, like, good, sort of posts...another in a long line of BTC is up, BTC is down, BTC is up, BTC is down, market is up, market is down, market is up, market is down, themed posts that I find so incredibly pathetic.
Worse still, the person offered advice - it's this part that confirmed their status of an expert idiot. Are you ready for the advice? Seriously, sit down because this is fucking incredible financial advice...Seriously, get your pen and paper ready folks, it's coming in hot:
Buy when it's down and sell when it's up.
There you have it ladies and gentleman, expert financial advice about the cryptocurrency markets. This, together with the other incredible advice and gem of wisdom, BTC is up, will surely make you a millionaire in no time, and all thanks to that cryptocurrency "expert." [Sarcasm]
I know why people post "financial" stuff like that: Votes.
I think it also has something to do with the lack of imagination to find more interesting topics and probably laziness also.
Furthermore, it probably has to do with a lack of self esteem, the person seeking to gain credibility, accolades or validation for their sage advice which they think will make them feel better about themselves. This is especially the case for the user whose post I mention here as I believe that person has very little self-esteem and self-respect based on what I have seen in posts...or maybe they are so egotistical they have lost all sense of reality when it comes to how they present themselves?
It's not just that user though, there's many more, self proclaimed experts out there.
One I have recently found has been presenting themselves as an expert on everything from relationships, child-raising and medical matters to psychological and emotional topics - all clearly spun articles generated by AI that they have taken from someone else...A self-esteem issue there? Hmm, no I think votes were the motivation behind that user.
It's usually very easy to spot a fake, for me at least, here on Hive. It's also easy to spot someone who knows what they're talking about; they may not be an expert but it's clear when someone has a solid understanding of a topic. I wonder if those who present themselves inappropriately understand this and they they're not really fooling anyone, or very many at least.
A little while ago The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) put the thumbscrews on a very special group of nutbags called, social media influencers, giving unlicensed financial advice. Of course, these so-called influencers ducked for cover, made up [what they thought were] clever ways to describe what they did in a way they thought they could avoid the pressure, and potential hammer-drop from ASIC and generally acted like the nutbags they are. But the really scary part is, people were listening to them and it was not working out so well for those people.
I get it, everyone has the choice to listen to whomever they like and can act as they please, within the law of the land, but it seems rather injudicious to take the advice of someone who has, at best, questionable credibility right?
The amount of information available on the internet is incredible, some of it is even true and correct, and a person needs to look at it carefully, determine if it is true or false, understand how it may relate to them and how they may apply it; or they can just discard it altogether. I'm not saying that people who say things on the internet and sites like Hive don't know what they are talking about, many do, but many do not. I'm just suggesting caution.
I'm not an expert on it but staying sharp, being diligent in researching information one sees [online or otherwise] and understanding that sometimes people have an agenda, either nefarious or just to pump their own ego, [or wallet through potential votes here on Hive], seems like a good way to go. I'm not altogether sure, beware the expert is a totally legitimate phrase, but being wary of them and the advice they give and doing one's own due diligence, certainly is.
What's your thoughts on this?
I know there are many people here who are all interested in various things and, generally, crypto is common to most. Have you come across a financial "expert" who really wasn't one? Would you take financial and investment advice from some nameless, faceless, person on the internet and act upon it? Do you feel it's acceptable for people who may not really know about a topic to present themselves as an expert on it? Feel free to comment below if you would like to.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default; tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind - galenkp
The image in this post was taken by me.