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It's not just gullibility, it's being taken in by the siren song of some compelling hypothesis and then being slow-boiled by these increasingly ridiculous "fact

It's not just gullibility, it's being taken in by the siren song of some compelling hypothesis and then being slow-boiled by these increasingly ridiculous "facts" that are used to sustain that trance. Normal, grounded people don't wake up one morning and go "I get it, the Jews and Soros are conspiring to suppress the truth about the Flat Earth", they get there by baby steps, each one veering more and more into the illogical. Maybe it was when they were unemployed or in medical trouble and stressed out beyond their ability to cope, then wanted explanations, however implausible, that gave them at least an idea of what was wrong with their world. From there it took root and by degrees they slip into this other world of nonsense and batshittery. Crystal therapy and detox can lead to healing rituals can lead to cults can lead to suddenly selling everything and donating it all to some fraudulent healer. Like you observe, I think we're all in need of a best friend, family member, or spouse who can say "You've got a problem, this has to stop now." The problem with the internet is it delivers. If you want to know more about quantum physics or molecular biology or cancer research you can dig and dig and keep on digging, you will never run out of material. Likewise if you're looking for harmful material, it will unquestioningly keep going all the way. If Google started to detect the pattern of someone slipping into madness and did what they could to start to refute things, to sprinkle in some helpful counter-points with their diet of pure nonsense, maybe we can save people who'd otherwise be lost.

quirkafleeg 10y ago
> If Google started to detect the pattern of someone slipping into madness and did what they could to start to refute things, to sprinkle in some helpful counter-points with their diet of pure nonsense, maybe we can save people who'd otherwise be lost. To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? It's easy to make up pure-nonsense examples that nobody believes - like Soros suppressing the truth about the flat Earth - and say believers should be saved. What if someone questions the official version of 9/11? What if they believe/d the NSA taps internet, social networks and world leaders? What if they think an omnipotent sky fairy watches over us all and blesses America? Google's "did you mean" is irritating enough when applied to assumed typos; its purpose should be to give people what they're looking for, not tell people what they should be looking for instead.
- winfred 10y ago
  >To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? But they are already doing just that. I watched a few Youtube videos related to Quantum Mechanics and my recommended queue was flooded with videos full of pseudo scientific nonsense. It took me considerable effort in having these weird videos no longer recommended to me. I think we can just be honest about what caused it, it's a lack of intelligence in the sorting algorithm, that currently isn't able to distinguish between true and false statements. I understand there are areas where this line is vague, but if I watch a few videos about astronomical events, why am I getting recommendations about aliens visiting earth?
  - astrodust 10y ago
    You watch one "free energy" video for chuckles and all of a sudden YouTube keeps surfacing more and more of these things, there's an infinite supply of them apparently. It just won't stop.
- astrodust 10y ago
  > To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? Give people a long leash, but when they're way off to the end of the bell-curve of normality throw them a life-line. > It's easy to make up pure-nonsense examples that nobody believes... That's actually an example of things people do believe. If you engage with some of those wild outliers you can learn a lot, quickly. Some of them are trolling, but many of them have extremely firm convictions. Maybe it's Sandy Hook. Maybe it's chemtrails. It's usually a bunch of stuff, all tangled together.
  - canadian_voter 10y ago
    Give people a long leash, but when they're way off to the end of the bell-curve of normality throw them a life-line. Hello User. We've noticed you've been spending more time on StackOverflow than 99% of our other users. May we suggest you spend some time looking at cat videos to balance things out? -- Your friends at Google
nnfy 10y ago
I appreciate your intent, but to me the concept of google operating as an arbiter of truth is unsettling.
- crazyhatfish 10y ago
  They're already doing this, although for good currently. [https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradicalize-jihadis-will-be-used-for-right-wing-american-extremists-next/ https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradi...]
- astrodust 10y ago
  They do it when they detect someone seeking to physically harm themselves (e.g. suicide). This could be the same for severe mental harm.

quirkafleeg 10y ago

> If Google started to detect the pattern of someone slipping into madness and did what they could to start to refute things, to sprinkle in some helpful counter-points with their diet of pure nonsense, maybe we can save people who'd otherwise be lost. To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? It's easy to make up pure-nonsense examples that nobody believes - like Soros suppressing the truth about the flat Earth - and say believers should be saved. What if someone questions the official version of 9/11? What if they believe/d the NSA taps internet, social networks and world leaders? What if they think an omnipotent sky fairy watches over us all and blesses America? Google's "did you mean" is irritating enough when applied to assumed typos; its purpose should be to give people what they're looking for, not tell people what they should be looking for instead.

winfred 10y ago
>To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? But they are already doing just that. I watched a few Youtube videos related to Quantum Mechanics and my recommended queue was flooded with videos full of pseudo scientific nonsense. It took me considerable effort in having these weird videos no longer recommended to me. I think we can just be honest about what caused it, it's a lack of intelligence in the sorting algorithm, that currently isn't able to distinguish between true and false statements. I understand there are areas where this line is vague, but if I watch a few videos about astronomical events, why am I getting recommendations about aliens visiting earth?
- astrodust 10y ago
  You watch one "free energy" video for chuckles and all of a sudden YouTube keeps surfacing more and more of these things, there's an infinite supply of them apparently. It just won't stop.
astrodust 10y ago
> To which the response is who are Google to influence how or what people think? Give people a long leash, but when they're way off to the end of the bell-curve of normality throw them a life-line. > It's easy to make up pure-nonsense examples that nobody believes... That's actually an example of things people do believe. If you engage with some of those wild outliers you can learn a lot, quickly. Some of them are trolling, but many of them have extremely firm convictions. Maybe it's Sandy Hook. Maybe it's chemtrails. It's usually a bunch of stuff, all tangled together.
- canadian_voter 10y ago
  Give people a long leash, but when they're way off to the end of the bell-curve of normality throw them a life-line. Hello User. We've noticed you've been spending more time on StackOverflow than 99% of our other users. May we suggest you spend some time looking at cat videos to balance things out? -- Your friends at Google

nnfy 10y ago

I appreciate your intent, but to me the concept of google operating as an arbiter of truth is unsettling.

crazyhatfish 10y ago
They're already doing this, although for good currently. [https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradicalize-jihadis-will-be-used-for-right-wing-american-extremists-next/ https://theintercept.com/2016/09/07/google-program-to-deradi...]
astrodust 10y ago
They do it when they detect someone seeking to physically harm themselves (e.g. suicide). This could be the same for severe mental harm.