A biography for Zeynep Tufekcihasn’t been written yet.
“Political activism is not failing because people are too busy watching cat videos online, but because of a fundamental collapse of citizen leverage on institutions of power like governments and corporations.”
“The outdoors, exercise, sunshine, and fresh air are all good for people's immune systems and health, and not so great for viruses.”
“Western companies (and governments) have deeply integrated themselves with an authoritarian regime without thinking through the consequences, and when push comes to shove, many will choose money over their nice mission statements.”
“Humans exist in social groups and rely on social signals to make the group work - signals that are symbolic, and appear without teeth, but in essence are among the most powerful dynamics of a human society.”
“Apple depends on China for much of its hardware production and to juice its iPhone sales.”
“Lowering the eligibility age for Medicare to 60 and then to 55 and expanding the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health care system in the country, to include firefighters, social workers, teachers and others who serve their communities are among the options that should become part of the political conversation.”
“Fixing the WHO is crucial, because we desperately need well-functioning global health institutions.”
“Protest is the traditional way that Hong Kongers, who do not have full voting rights, express discontent.”
“When it comes to strength training, the industry pushes women to under-exercise, and men to over-exercise, accompanied by pictures of people who almost certainly are not merely weight-training. This is just as wrong.”
“Attention is powerful and can dampen violence even in seemingly worst conditions.”
“There are worse things than being exploited, and being redundant and unable to make a living is one of them.”
“Exponential growth isn't the only tricky part of epidemiological models. These models also need to use parameters to plug into the variables in the equations. But where should those parameters come from?”
“Automated gender analysis of my writings often marks me as male, probably because I write about technology, and also about war. But our algorithmic overlords are onto me: I mostly encounter three types of ads online: weight loss, beauty products, and online degrees from shady for-profits.”
“Just like healthy diets, the best pandemic interventions are sustainable, logical, and scientifically justified.”
“In 2016, there was no sign that conservative pages did badly on Facebook. To the contrary, they were the pages that got the most engagement on Facebook.”
“In the Middle Ages, psychosis may have involved visions of the devil, snakes, or witches. In the 21st century, it can involve dressing in pseudo-combat gear, donning numerous high-powered rifles, and walking through a public place in a blaze of violence.”
“Social media is enhancing human connectivity as people can converse in ways that were once not possible.”
“If pandemic theater gets mixed up with scientifically sound practices, we will not be able to persuade people to continue with the latter.”
“A 'fair' fight between non-equals is not fair, and being blind to power is an implicit endorsement of the powerful.”
“Social support is crucial at every stage of life, and too often we are both late to react to threats, and slow to relax restrictions.”