Oddbean new post about login | logout I think people fundamentally misunderstand search engines. I suspect most people approach typing a question into a search engine is really them asking… “What is the objectively correct, carefully vetted-by-Google answer to my question?” What they should be thinking is… “What complete bullshit will Google show me that people made popular (because people believe what makes them feel good)?” People think search results = TRUTH. At some level, anyway. Scepticism is healthy. #SEO #google #search
I also suspect, based on precisely zero actual data, that: — Older people are susceptible to this, because their mental model for search engines are phone books — Younger people are susceptible to this because they’ve grown up in a world where everyone relies on Google for answers. Getting people to revise their mental models of How the World Works™ is challenging, to say the least.
@3409b63c Most people don't have the basic research skills - looking for where the information comes from, see if it is supported by others (and who they are). These things are not natural - they need to be learned. They need to be learned for formal research, but also for more general exploration for answers.