--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People do not come to the Internet so…" description: "\"“People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the electron..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-m-nichols-8933_internet_people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-th_137166.jpg" --- # People do not come to the Internet so that their bad… ![“People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the electronic oracle to confirm them in their ignorance. In 2015 a Washington Post writer, Caitlin Dewey, worried that fact-checking could never defeat myths…” quote by Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-m-nichols-8933_internet_people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-th_137166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-m-nichols-8933_internet_people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-th_137166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/891/thomas-m-nichols-8933_internet_people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-th_137166.jpg) > ““People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the electronic oracle to confirm them in their ignorance. In 2015 a Washington Post writer, Caitlin Dewey, worried that fact-checking could never defeat myths and hoaxes because “no one has the time or cognitive capacity to reason all the apparent nuances and discrepancies out.”3 In the end, she sighed, “debunking them doesn’t do a darn thing.”” [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fact‑checking often fails to change beliefs because people use information to confirm biases rather than seek truth. **In simple terms:** People seek confirmation, not correction Key Takeaway Recognize bias and seek diverse perspectives Themes cognition bias media literacy Mood skeptical analytical Type explanatory thought‑provoking When to use this quote - online discourse - education - policy making Key Concepts confirmation bias information overload Questions to Reflect On - How do you react when confronted with contradictory evidence? - What strategies can improve critical thinking? A Different Perspective Changing minds requires more than presenting facts; it needs emotional engagement ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hoaxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoaxes/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ## Related quotes > [The internet connects us all and provides this fabulous fact-checking mechanism, and yet at the same time, the power of lies is conveyed much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/the-internet-connects-us-all-and-provides-this-fabulous-fact-checking/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/debunking-bad-science-should-be-constant-obligation-of-the-science/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [In some aspects of alternative medicine we are fighting an almost medieval belief in magic but debunking such beliefs is like telling people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-diamond/in-some-aspects-of-alternative-medicine-we-are-fighting-an-almost/) [John Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-diamond/) > [“Your generation is suffering from what for lack of a better word I shall call over-debunk . There was a lot of debunking that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-gary/your-generation-is-suffering-from-what-for-lack-of-a-better-word-i/) [Romain Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-gary/) > [“A great many of those who ‘debunk’ traditional or (as they would say) ‘sentimental’ values have in the background values of their own which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/a-great-many-of-those-who-debunk-traditional-or-as-they-would-say-2/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [The perpetrators of the actual bad stuff that does real and lasting harm to people, like leakage of industrial chemicals into water systems, seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-perpetrators-of-the-actual-bad-stuff-that-does-real-and-lasting/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Debunking certain things is important, first because you question things, which is always healthy, and second because there's a part that has to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodrigo-cortes/debunking-certain-things-is-important-first-because-you-question/) [Rodrigo Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodrigo-cortes/) > [Few professors would dare to publish research or teach a course debunking the claims made in various ethnic, gender, or other 'studies' courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/few-professors-would-dare-to-publish-research-or-teach-a-course/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Blue Book was now under direct orders to debunk. . . I remember the conversations around the conference table in which it was suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-allen-hynek/blue-book-was-now-under-direct-orders-to-debunk-i-remember-the/) [J. Allen Hynek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-allen-hynek/) > [“A great many of those who "debunk" traditional or (as they would say) "sentimental" values have in the background values of their own which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/a-great-many-of-those-who-debunk-traditional-or-as-they-would-say/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [I fight for the debunking of the artist and an end to individual pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-vasarely/i-fight-for-the-debunking-of-the-artist-and-an-end-to-individual/) [Victor Vasarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-vasarely/) > [Empirical debunking cannot reach the deepest fear of the reactionary mind, which is that the state - that devouring leviathan - will soon swallow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/empirical-debunking-cannot-reach-the-deepest-fear-of-the-reactionary/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [A great many of those who 'debunk' traditional...values have in the background values of their own which they believe to be immune from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-great-many-of-those-who-debunk-traditional-values-have-in-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Skepticism's bad rap arises from the impression that, however necessary the activity, it can only be regarded as a negative removal of false claims.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/skepticism-s-bad-rap-arises-from-the-impression-that-however/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... In a free society, skeptics are the watchdogs against irrationalism - the consumer advocates of ideas. Debunking is not simply the divestment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/in-a-free-society-skeptics-are-the-watchdogs-against-irrationalism/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More by Thomas M. Nichols > [“Conspiracy theorists manipulate all tangible evidence to fit their explanation, but worse, they will also point to the absence of evidence as even stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/conspiracy-theorists-manipulate-all-tangible-evidence-to-fit-their/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Today, by contrast, students explode over imagined slights that are not even remotely in the same category as fighting for civil rights or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/today-by-contrast-students-explode-over-imagined-slights-that-are-not/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“And when voters lose control of these important decisions, they risk the hijacking of their democracy by ignorant demagogues, or the more quiet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/and-when-voters-lose-control-of-these-important-decisions-they-risk/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“As the economic writer Ben Casselman pointed out in 2016, most college applicants “never have to write a college entrance essay, pad a résumé…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/as-the-economic-writer-ben-casselman-pointed-out-in-2016-most-college/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“If the public has no idea about the substance of an issue, and will vote based on who they like rather than what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/if-the-public-has-no-idea-about-the-substance-of-an-issue-and-will/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The issue is not indifference to established knowledge; it’s the emergence of a positive hostility to such knowledge. This is new in American culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-issue-is-not-indifference-to-established-knowledge-it-s-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“At the root of all this is an inability among laypeople to understand that experts being wrong on occasion about certain issues is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/at-the-root-of-all-this-is-an-inability-among-laypeople-to-understand/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The requirements of a degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), a demanding foreign language, or a rigorous degree in the humanities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-requirements-of-a-degree-in-a-stem-field-science-technology/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“In 2015, a Massachusetts accountant named Stephen Pasceri lost his seventy-eight-year-old mother to cardiovascular disease. Mrs. Pasceri had a long history of health trouble,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/in-2015-a-massachusetts-accountant-named-stephen-pasceri-lost-his/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-is-a-cult-of-ignorance-in-the-united-states-and-there-always/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The modern media, with so many options tailored to particular views, is a huge exercise in confirmation bias. This means that Americans are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-modern-media-with-so-many-options-tailored-to-particular-views-is/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Americans no longer distinguish the phrase “you’re wrong” from the phrase “you’re stupid.” To disagree is to disrespect. To correct another is to insult.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/americans-no-longer-distinguish-the-phrase-you-re-wrong-from-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“There aren’t enough pages in this or any other book to catalog the amount of bad information on the Internet. Miracle cures, conspiracy theories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-aren-t-enough-pages-in-this-or-any-other-book-to-catalog-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Populism actually reinforces this elitism, because the celebration of ignorance cannot launch communications satellites, negotiate the rights of US citizens overseas, or provide for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/populism-actually-reinforces-this-elitism-because-the-celebration-of/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Just as we are not all equally able to carry a tune or draw a straight line, many people simply cannot recognize the gaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/just-as-we-are-not-all-equally-able-to-carry-a-tune-or-draw-a/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) [Explore all 76 Thomas M. Nichols quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) ## More Hoaxes quotes > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [While all men are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are the highest and all others are low as Pariah (the Untouchables)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/while-all-men-are-born-as-equals-to-say-that-brahmins-alone-are-the/) [Periyar E. V. Ramasamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/) > [One day you and I will have to have a little talk about this business called love. I still don't understand what it's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/one-day-you-and-i-will-have-to-have-a-little-talk-about-this-business/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/president-obama-is-the-greatest-hoax-ever-perpetrated-on-the-american/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/) [Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/) > [In a secular age, an authentic miracle must purport to be a hoax, in order to gain credit in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/in-a-secular-age-an-authentic-miracle-must-purport-to-be-a-hoax-in/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Hoaxes are nothing new. News media isn't hard to fool. It's fun to fool and people like to mess with people. It all goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/hoaxes-are-nothing-new-news-media-isn-t-hard-to-fool-it-s-fun-to-fool/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/after-more-than-700-hours-of-studying-this-subject-and-thoroughly/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [The plea agreement negotiated by Janet Reno's Justice Department with Nora, Gene and Trisha Lum is a hoax. It allows two key players in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-klayman/the-plea-agreement-negotiated-by-janet-reno-s-justice-department-with/) Larry Klayman > [I think that object orientedness is almost as much of a hoax as artificial intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-stepanov/i-think-that-object-orientedness-is-almost-as-much-of-a-hoax-as/) [Alexander Stepanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-stepanov/) > [Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/much-that-was-called-religion-has-carried-an-unconscious-attitude-of/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [In a Bloomberg poll, 88% of respondents said that Wall Street bonuses should either be banned outright or taxed at 50%. Just 7% said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-salmon/in-a-bloomberg-poll-88-of-respondents-said-that-wall-street-bonuses/) Felix Salmon > [As is so often the case with pieces that appear in the 'Onion,' I honestly could not decide whether this was a clever hoax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-is-so-often-the-case-with-pieces-that-appear-in-the-onion-i/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are some things I don't like, about which I think, well, that's me. But coriander is a giant hoax perpetrated by a perverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/there-are-some-things-i-don-t-like-about-which-i-think-well-that-s-me/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The Republicans are committed to global warming as a hoax, or irrelevant, or as not a problem. That is their belief. I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-republicans-are-committed-to-global-warming-as-a-hoax-or/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) [Browse all 70 Hoaxes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoaxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the electronic oracle to confirm them in their ignorance. In 2015 a Washington Post writer, Caitlin Dewey, worried that fact-checking could never defeat myths and hoaxes because “no one has the time or cognitive capacity to reason all the apparent nuances and discrepancies out.”3 In the end, she sighed, “debunking them doesn’t do a darn thing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas M. 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