The internet is an interesting place. You can find everything. Seriously. Everything from how quantum physics works to the best sheep shearing techniques, the internet has it all. Want to learn to swim? Internet. Get a job? Internet. Find a cool cafe? Internet. Get a degree? Internet. How did we even live before this? Well, we did, somehow. The truth is that the internet has done a lot of good. Actually, that’s an understatement. It has almost single-handedly perpetuated revolutions (the Arab Spring). As with most things, however, there is a downside.
The good thing, of course, is that everyone has a platform. The bad thing? That everyone has a platform. As engineers would say, the signal to noise ratio is pretty low. For every useful piece of information (signal), there is quite a bit of spam (noise). Today, that is where our focus will be. We are interested not only in the loudest “noise,” but also the most harmful and wrong “noise.” As you can imagine, the internet has no shortage. Whether it is flat earth theory (yes, this is actually a thing) or “Doctors hate him!!” advertisements, the internet is full of noise. These are the 25 Biggest Lies Told On The Internet That People Still Strangely Believe!
Featured Image: pixabay
That this person did such-and-such, and they are terrible.
Image: someecards, Source: bbcQuite often the image macros we see on the internet are just random photos pulled from facebook profiles. That woman didn’t actually sleep around while her husband was deployed.
You will make a difference by signing that online petition.
Probably not.
Drop Bears
Source: wikipediaEven the Australian government is in on this one.
Dihydrogen Monoxide is killing us because the government forces us to ingest it.
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaAnd everyone who drinks it dies. Guys…it’s water. This social experiment has been around for a while with the stated intention of showing how gullible people are. It involves calling water according to its less familiar name and then stating some of its supposedly “dangerous” properties. People have been falling for this for years.
All your friends have amazing lives.
Image: Richard foster via Flickr, Source: mashableYes, facebook makes it seem that way because it’s stuffed with super happy images of your friends with their kids and houses, but it’s not true. Everyone has problems; they just put their best face on the internet. Researchers have actually shown that spending time on facebook can trigger depression precisely because of this.
Vaccines cause autism.
Source: wikipediaThanks to one British physician who has since been convicted of fraud and barred from practicing medicine (Dr. Andrew Wakefield), tons of people now believe that vaccines cause autism. How can we say this?…um…they don’t.
Man finds cheap cure for baldness, Doctors hate him!
Yes, the doctors probably do hate him, but only because he is misleading patients. Other than that, good luck with the cheap cure.
Your intelligence is in the top 5% if you can answer these 4 questions!
Seriously?
Microsoft wants remote access to your computer so that they can remove a virus.
Source: redditA) That’s not Microsoft B) They’re not removing viruses
I have read and accepted the terms and conditions.
Image: someecardsNo, you haven’t.
Most of the quotes people share on Tumblr
“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” – Abraham Lincoln
Addicted to the Internet? Here are 25 Ways The Internet Has Changed The World For Better Or For Worse.
Yes, I am over 18 years old.
Says everyone that is under 18 but still wants to watch that youtube video….
Adware falsified your husbands internet history.
Source: 9gagSomeone either agrees with you or doesn't.
Thanks to social media, we have all polarized ourselves, and we live in our own “filter bubbles.” We see and hear what we want, and those that don’t agree with us are “bad.” There is no middle ground.
You can charge your phone by microwaving it for 10 seconds.
Image: someecardsNo, you can’t.
KONY 2012
Source: wikipediaIt crashed and burned almost just as quickly as it virally exploded.
LOL
No, you didn’t. Your facial muscles probably barely twitched.
Mr. Rogers used to a be a Navy Seal and is covered in tattoos, which is why he always wears long sleeves.
Source: snopesNope and nope.
Your browser's "do not track" prevents websites from tracking you.
Source: wikipediaNo, it only politely requests that they don’t. They have no obligation to comply.
Will Smith's father left him, and that's why he improvised that scene in Fresh Prince; it was because he was speaking from experience
Source: wikipediaWill Smith’s dad never left him.
You have to either support something or be against it.
This is perhaps best exemplified during election season. Either you are anti-immigration/pro-military/pro-gun/republican or pro-immigration/anti-military/anti-gun/democrat. There is no acceptable middle ground.
There is a single in your area that wants to talk to you.
Possibly, but you won’t meet them by clicking on that button. You’d probably have a better chance by trying a new hobby or something.
People remember your birthday.
Image: wikipediaThey just check Facebook.
You eat spiders while you sleep.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaBig nope. One of the last places a spider would want to hide is in the warm mouth of a mammal.
The new iPhone update makes your phone waterproof.
Image: wikipedia, Source: redditAfter a fake add appeared on 4chan, some people actually ended up believing this.
Are you interested in hearing more internet lies? Here are 25 Biggest Lies Told On The Internet.
