corona

The problem of false positives: Antibody tests in times of Corona

by Philipp Masur
April 14, 2020August 3, 2020
3 Comments
data viz, R, rstats, statistics

A few weeks or months from now, we could have a Covid-19 test kit sent to our home. Similar to a blood sugar test for diabetics, we would prick our finger, wait for a couple of minutes, and we will know whether we are immune or not. The general idea is that this would help in lessen the social distancing restrictions because those who are immune could in principle go back to a normal life.… Read More »The problem of false positives: Antibody tests in times of Corona

Understanding exponential growth: The corona pandemic

by Philipp Masur
March 13, 2020April 2, 2020
1 Comment
data viz, R, rstats

With the news going crazy these days, I felt like there is one particularly thing that is often misunderstood. The corona virus spreads exponentially (without intervention or measures). The problem is that we – as human beings – are very bad at imagining what an exponential trend looks like. By now, many differnet graphics and figures appear everywhere that aim to visualize the amount of infections or mortality rates per country. One of the most… Read More »Understanding exponential growth: The corona pandemic

I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Managing Director of the Digital Media and Behavior Lab. My research is concerned with applying socio-psychological and communication theories to study online communication. Particularly, I investigate social influences on social media, privacy and self-disclosure dynamics, and implications for individuals’ well-being. In doing so, I aim to identify and foster knowledge and skills necessary to navigate online environments in a healthy and self-determined way (read more).

From time to time, I take pictures of things and people. You can find them here.