How can you distinguish between a real 'expert' and a 'copycat' who is just showing off their knowledge?

The environment surrounding modern society is becoming increasingly complex, and it is no longer possible for an individual to cover all the specialized information related to life and society. Therefore, it is important to properly incorporate information provided by reliable experts, but there are also 'copycats' who profit by posing as experts and attracting attention. Former intelligence agency employee and blogger Shane Parish explains

https://fs.blog/experts-vs-imitators/

People who call themselves 'experts' appear on the Internet and on television about all sorts of things in this world, such as the latest infectious disease outbreaks and government economic policies. At the same time, there are also 'copycats' who pretend to be experts and subtly steer public opinion in a way that suits them, attract attention to improve their own branding, or make profits by getting people to buy their products or materials. In order to avoid being swayed by unreliable information, it is necessary to have the skills to distinguish between experts and copycats.

Parish explains the difference between an expert and a copycat:

◆1: Copycats can't answer deep level questions
The knowledge that experts have includes not only what they have learned from books or websites, but also what they have 'acquired' by seriously working on a problem themselves. Experts can gain a deep understanding of a particular subject by taking the time to acquire knowledge, but imitators who simply memorize existing knowledge often only have a shallow understanding of the problem.

So, Parrish advises, 'if you ask about problem specifics, first principles, or non-standard cases, you're not going to get a good answer from a copycat.'

◆2: Imitators cannot adapt their vocabulary to the amateur's level.
When imitators convey knowledge about a particular subject to others, they tend to explain it only using the specialized vocabulary they have memorized. This is because they have a shallow understanding of the problem and do not understand the essence of the ideas behind the technical terms, Parish points out. On the other hand, experts have a solid understanding of the background of the technical terms, so they can express the essence of the problem using words and phrases that are appropriate for the audience's level.

◆3: Imitators get frustrated when their listeners can't understand them
Imitators feel frustrated when their explanations are not well understood by the audience. Parish points out that this is the result of being too concerned about looking professional. If the audience does not understand the problem well, the speaker is forced to provide a more detailed explanation, but since imitators do not grasp the essence of the problem, it is possible that a detailed explanation will not be able to maintain a professional appearance.

On the other hand, true experts understand the nature of the problem and are excited to share their expertise, even if the audience doesn't quite get it, so they don't get frustrated when the audience doesn't understand the problem, Parrish argued.

◆4: Experts will tell you all about their mistakes
Experts who have struggled to gain expertise accept that some mistakes are a necessary part of the learning process. So when they explain a problem to someone or ask a question, they're more likely to tell you about the mistakes they made. On the other hand, imitators who pretend to be experts are less likely to admit that they've made mistakes, for fear of damaging their perfect image.

5. Imitators don't know the limits of expertise
In most fields, even for experts, there are things that we 'know' and things that we 'don't know yet,' or things that 'cannot be known.' Experts understand that there are limits to their knowledge, so they can clearly communicate the things that they 'don't know any more.'

However, imitators who have only learned knowledge cannot understand what they do not yet know or what they cannot know. Therefore, imitators tend to make assertions based on their own knowledge about things that are uncertain, even if an expert would admit that they do not know about them yet.

When people want to learn about a topic, they usually watch popular articles and videos rather than reading original research papers or talking to experts. However, in most cases, the articles and videos people see are not directly published by experts, but by 'popularizers' who are skilled at conveying ideas clearly and impressively.

When searching for real experts, keep in mind that people with real expertise are often not the people who made a topic popular, Parish advises.