[conductr]

I read this as 2020 was Covid related drop, it then returned to normal for 2 years, then began dropping again in late 2023. The covid blip is explained by what was going on at the time, nothing since 2023 has any explanation and could be flock

[ceejayoz]

COVID makes it spike up (after a months long downward trend long before the cameras), not down. Nation-wide, incidentally.

The cameras were added where the black rectangle is here: https://imgur.com/a/i00Gna0

[conductr]

There are two nearly identical peaks on this chart. The trough between them is Covid.

I’m not seeing anything I can call a Covid spike

[ceejayoz]

The lowest point of the first trough is when COVID starts. It then rapidly increases and stays high for two years.

[conductr]

It looks like that rapid increase was a return to pre-covid normal. It never spikes above pre-covid. Given the world was returning to normal, this is precisely what you'd expect most trends to look like, something like in-restaurant dining probably looks similar.

[ceejayoz]

As the authors note, their data only goes back to 2018. So “pre-COVID normal” is tough to confirm here.

Then we have to figure out why it dropped so much pre-COVID. Because the timeline doesn’t say it can possibly be Flock.

Same for the 2023 drop. The timeline simply doesn’t match up with Flock’s rollout.

[conductr]

That’s why I said “how I read this chart is ….” I don’t know what pre2018 looked like either. But on this chart, it was the precovid portion.

Nowhere on here am I seeing how covid caused a spike up, that’s what you said though and signifying our differences in reading the chart that was shown.

[whimsicalism]

well that's because you're discussing in good faith

[ceejayoz]

Where am I using bad faith?