In recent years, there has been intensive talk about a “crisis of expertise” unfolding in liberal-democratic societies. Along with suspicion toward established facts and institutional findings, techno-scientific experts – academic researchers, medical doctors, engineers, public health specialists – are widely seen as detached elites whose impartiality is questionable, and motivations can no longer be trusted. This concerning shift in public attitudes, the argument goes, has boosted the popularity of unverified and unregulated sources of knowledge (traditional healing practices, the wellness industry, social media influencers, self-tracking), and given rise to a dangerous “do your own research” (DYOR) culture that impedes our collective ability to distinguish sound advice from misinformation.
