Yeah, it does feel like there’s something kinda meta about it. ;) Except that because the paper’s data shows a positive correlation between self-ranking and skill, it seems like the meta-ness is mainly based on the misunderstood DK concept. So, I won’t call it the meta-DK-effect or claim it’s incompetence or even a cognitive bias necessarily. The article and this meta effect are perhaps just about making assumptions and jumping to conclusions, which humans at all skills levels do often and well. It doesn’t mean that anyone is incompetent or less skilled, it just means we love to guess based on our limited and available information & experience.