STUDENTS FOOLED BY "TREE OCTOPUS" STORY

[alandhopewell]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352929/Endangered-tree-octopus-proves-students-believe-read-Internet.html

[The Gravekeeper]

Nice for the researchers to assume that absolutely everyone who grew up with the internet is that gullible. Perhaps they forgot the fact that if something is coming from someone presumed to be an authority, many people in general will believe them. Not everyone, thankfully, but quite a few.

[Rev. Powell]

The truth is, I don't think lack of critical thinking skills isn't unique to the Internet generation, so that's an unfortunate spin to put on the story.

Lack of critical thinking is endemic, and always has been.  The difference in the Internet age is the way disinformation can spread at an equal pace with real information. 

It used to be that people got their information from newspapers and magazines run by people who had been trained to cover stories accurately.  Now, I notice on sports message boards that a huge number of people will give an unsourced rumor from a random blogger they know nothing about as much credence as they would something published by a professional journalist.  More, if they want to believe the rumor. 

[alandhopewell]

The truth is, I don't think lack of critical thinking skills isn't unique to the Internet generation, so that's an unfortunate spin to put on the story.

Lack of critical thinking is endemic, and always has been.  The difference in the Internet age is the way disinformation can spread at an equal pace with real information. 

It used to be that people got their information from newspapers and magazines run by people who had been trained to cover stories accurately.  Now, I notice on sports message boards that a huge number of people will give an unsourced rumor from a random blogger they know nothing about as much credence as they would something published by a professional journalist.  More, if they want to believe the rumor. 

     You're right-look at, 4-X, the Orson Welles broadcast of 30 October 1938.

[akiratubo]

I automatically disbelieve everything I read on the internet.