My first vehicle was a rust colored 1970 GMC pickup, which I nicknamed “The Dung Beetle.” It had a 350 in it with a four barrel carburetor. For a sixteen year old kid it was tall and fast and loud (that may have been because the mufflers were rusted through).

My dad and I kept that truck running. We put in a new starter, I did the basics myself (oil, spark plugs, etc.) and we even put new mufflers on. It was a fantastic truck that was also a death trap that got 7 miles to the gallon.

Now I drive an electric car. I can’t work on it myself. In fact, at the dealership where I bought it there are only a couple of techs trained to work on it. That’s right, it’s too complicated for me, AND for the majority of mechanics at the dealership.

That’s specialization. As our world continues to become more complex, as technology advances and everything from cars to medicine becomes ever more complex it becomes impossible for an individual to learn it all. My own job in cybersecurity requires that I spend a significant amount of time every week just … trying to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape.

So when people online insist that I do my own research I hate to say it but … I can’t. Nobody can.

In a world of specialization the only people capable of “doing the research” are experts — the people that literally do the research.

The problem with experts

And that can be a problem. See, every expert believes that what they do is vitally important. I work in cybersecurity. According to many cybersecurity people, cybersecurity is probably the most important discipline in all of IT. We (cybersecurity people) have seen what happens when cyber security is underfunded or ignored.

And cybersecurity IS incredibly important. But when a cybersecurity professional stands in the way of work getting done, well, they’re probably not going to stand in the way for long. The most successful cybersecurity leaders are cognizant of the place of their discipline in the larger IT landscape. They work with other people and don’t throw up barriers, but help them see the risks AND, most crucially, help them mitigate them. They don’t stand in the way. They walk with them.

But there are a lot of cybersecurity people who still throw up obstacles constantly, who stand in the way instead of partnering. Really, there are a lot of experts of all kinds who throw up obstacles and make doom-filled proclamations about their area of expertise. When you know something important, and it seems like everyone is ignoring it, often you feel you don’t have a choice.

And that makes people distrust the experts. It makes them afraid because what they’re being told sounds extreme. And when people lack trust, and when they are afraid, what they look for are people who agree with them. And if they find someone who agrees with them, who they convince themselves is expert enough — maybe even more of an expert than the “so-called” experts, then that is who they listen to.

The problem with the problem with experts

And that leads to lots of people listening to other people who don’t actually know what they’re talking about. It leads to people listening to lawyers instead of doctors and to entertainers instead of journalists.

And that is a serious problem.

What can we do about it?

Well, if you’re reading this and you’re going “You don’t know what you’re talking about, man! What kind of expert are you?”

Well, hey, that’s great! You and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to my main thesis!

You should approach all the people you listen to with a similar level of skepticism. If an anonymous person online claims something you should assume they have no idea what they’re talking about. If they had any expertise they would say “And I know what I’m talking about because XYZ.” If they don’t say that then they don’t know.

And if a public figure takes a position about a highly technical subject, you should ask yourself “Is this person an expert in this area? And if they are an expert, do the majority of the people in their field agree with them?”

Yes, I know. Sometimes “the majority in a field” can be wrong. It does indeed happen! But not that often and, frankly, if you’re not an expert yourself, you’re probably not the one who is going to be able to pick out the legitimate genius over the charismatic quack.