American Circus Educators Magazine Spring 2018 (Issue 1, Volume 12) | Page 4

P o i n t o f // S O C I A L M E D I A I am awash in experts. My doctor is - I hope - an expert at figuring out whether some NSAIDS will cure what ails me, or if my arm is actually going to fall off. My plumber is an expert at fishing Legos out of our toilet. My son will tell you he’s an expert at Star Wars and wearing his underwear on his head (he’s doing it right now), and lots and lots of folks are hanging out their shingles as expert in the circus community. What does that mean anymore, to be an “expert” in the circus community? When anyone giving advice on the internet can claim the title, and the most basic scientific facts are being contested (flat earthers, I’m looking at you!), how does the layman sift through it all? How do you identify authoritative content in the age of "everybody's an expert"? 4 View: Laura Witwer 5