Has internet/google/facebook made people dumber/less informed?

[saggs]

Just a random musing...

So several months ago I had a co-worker who got into the flat earth conspiracy, just for kicks I watched quite a few of the "flat earth proof" videos on youtube, and looked at flat earth facebook pages.  The mental gymnastics and willful ignorance these people have to put their brains through to believe what they believe just boggles my mind.  What's worse is it's a movement which seems to be growing, just go to youtube and search for "flat earth" and you'll be shocked at the number of hits.

I've decided that I partially blame the internet and social media for this.  The way the internet with things like google and facebook work it automatically creates an echo chamber which only reinforces confirmation bias.  Somebody goes on google or youtube and searches for "flat earth proof" or "is the earth flat" and they are presented with hundreds of websites and millions of videos "proving" to them the earth is flat.  On facebook or google every story you see is based on other stories you've liked so it becomes nothing but an echo chamber for what you "want" to believe is reality.  The algorithms which determine what you see never let a reasonable dissenting view come through.

The same holds true not only for wacky conspiracy theories but politics as well.  I feel like people are becoming more and more divided and entrenched because every time they go online they are faced with only the reality that they want to believe because that is what the search algorithms have decided will get the most clicks.

Anyway, just something I was thinking about.  I see a sad irony in that while the internet holds a wealth of knowledge and information, in today's world it seems to mostly fuel crackpot conspiracy theories and political extremism, rather then actually expanding useful knowledge.

[Ack-Ack]

Stupid people were around long before the internet and social media were around.

[Crash Orange]

It has not made people dumber but it has made them less informed. It turns out having professionals acting to some degree as gatekeepers for what gets broadcast to the public was not entirely bad thing. Now every idiot and lunatic gets a microphone and you have millions of people making Jenny McCarthy their go-to expert on medical science.

[Volron]

1 + 1 = Chair!

[8thJinx]

People that go for these conspiracies have deeply rooted issues with control and knowledge.  If you have a sense that you can't control your own life and it feels like the federal government is a mystery and somehow controlling yours, then the federal government will be the focus of your conspiracies.  If you feel like scientists are discovering things that you can't control or understand, or discovering mysterious things that will exert some level of control over your life, then scientists will be the focus of your conspiracies.

When was the last time you heard a conspiracy theory about the folks that collect your garbage.

And it's a two-way street.  The folks with power can hold some pretty wacky conspiracy theories, due to issues with perceived power and lack of knowledge.  Re: Salem Witch Trials.

[Arlo]

Not to mention (but I will) that we're essentially talking about people sitting in their underwear (perhaps in their parent's basement - at the age of 30+) and surfing the internet to get an idea of what reality is outside their house (or even anywhere else on Earth).

Don't blame the internet - blame not connecting to reality as much or more than the internet.

[Ciaphas]

I don't think people are any dumber now than they were before social media, I just think that critical thinking has vanished as everything seems to be at your finger tips and the fact that were are quickly becoming a species where instant gratification is key, people are less likely to research most things and take information on face value regardless of the validity of the source and information.

[8thJinx]

... people are less likely to research most things and take information on face value regardless of the validity of the source and information.

And those people will quickly find themselves at the bottom of the economic ladder, because the folks that do the research and subject incoming information to scrutiny will do better.  Which will ultimately drive the offspring of the crackpots into doing research, scrutinizing information, and excelling economically, because face it, who wants to eat bologna sandwiches for the rest of their life.

[Meatwad]

the interwebs brings the nutjobs closer to other nutjobs

[Ciaphas]

And those people will quickly find themselves at the bottom of the economic ladder, because the folks that do the research and subject incoming information to scrutiny will do better.  Which will ultimately drive the offspring of the crackpots into doing research, scrutinizing information, and excelling economically, because face it, who wants to eat bologna sandwiches for the rest of their life.

Agreed but laziness is a disease... .


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[horble]

It's just made stupid people more visible.

[BoilerDown]

I think we need to straight-up mock people, and generally make them feel bad, when they repeat or invent things that have no basis in truth.  I'm done with this kind of tolerance or acceptance of all point of views when it comes to scientific fact.  Being nice has proven itself to not work.  These people need ostracism and public scorn.

[Zimme83]

A good read on the subject:
"Suspicious Minds" by  Rob Brotherton

https://www.amazon.com/Suspicious-Minds-Believe-Conspiracy-Theories/dp/1472915615

(And it isnt something new)

[Bizman]

the interwebs brings the nutjobs closer to other nutjobs

^this. Instead of having isolated groups of lunatics here and there they now can exceed the critical mass for sort of a mass hysteria to strengthen their beliefs. One million flies can't be wrong...

[OldNitro]

Yeah, there is a lot of fruity stuff on the internet..
Like Flat Earth, Nibiru, and Nephilim.. All harmless..

But I can also list topics that were called "Tin Hat"..
That turned out to be completely true and factual..
Echelon, Stingray, Prizm, Mainway, Predator, ICReach,
These are just a few, that are definitely NOT harmless..

Without internet "Conspiracy Theorists", we wouldn't
know anything about their abuses of Statist power,
against their own citizens! And the complicity of the
tech giants who are involved in these illegal programs!

I'd call that MORE informed, not less!