25 Jul The Internet Is Broken

Okay, I really hoped I wouldn’t have to say it, but “I read it on the internet” is not a viable source of information. Just because someone wrote or said it and posted it online, does not make it factual. These days you have any ignorant idiot posting their opinion on things they have no experience or expertise in, and then people go repeating and spreading more disinformation. The internet is starting to feel like the highly contagious Covid of stupidity.

I Miss The Real Google

Damn I miss when Google search actually worked. At my middle school, we actually had a class on how to use Google. We learned how to use keywords, modifiers, and get the info we needed within a few seconds. Now, you search for something in Google and you get 4 different advertisements, a bunch of unrelated links, and the rest seem to be articles written by people who have no clue what the f-k they’re talking about.

A lot of this can be blamed on marketers. From keyword stuffing, to fake backlinks, to writing articles for search engine ranking instead of for providing the reader or listener with the proper information they need. Google has increasingly prioritized their advertisers over their users and this has shaped the dysfunctional Google search that you see today. Mostly fluff, very little substance, and incredibly frustrating to use. Sadly, there is no fix for this as it would require Google to put their users above their paying advertisers, and good luck with that impossible sandwich.

The Barrier To Entry Is Too Low

The Internet today is exactly what you get when you have far more supply than demand. Any Joe Schmoe can launch a poorly designed website, call themselves an “expert” after reading a single blog article on the topic, and then spout whatever info they think they know with the confidence that some idiot on the internet will read it and believe it. We’ve made it too easy to seem like you have credibility when that person has yet to put in the time and effort. We replaced the actual experts we used to have with attention seeking people cosplaying as experts online.

I will say this, being an expert doesn’t come from knowledge, it comes from experience. Experience actually doing what you’re talking about, experience working with other talented people in the field, and experience learning what matters and what doesn’t. The difference between a knowledgeable person and an experienced expert is that the expert knows what is important in that subject, and just importantly, what isn’t. I don’t need a bunch of random information that may or may not use, I need the right information. This is what an expert provides; the right information needed to accomplish the goal.

Oversaturation Is Never Good

When you go online, does it feel like everyone is shouting for attention? Well that’s because they are. The internet previously provided publication for a select few, limiting the amount of information. Now, we have way too much information and most of it as useful as Ray-Ban sunglasses at night. Everyone trying to get you to look at their new content piece with the promise that it will change your life. When the market becomes too oversaturated, it becomes more about selling and less about the information or product.

Bring Back The Smart People

The world has been on an anti-intellectual kick for a while now. If you’re super smart, an academic, or an intellectual; you’re probably going to catch some hate on a daily basis. This has to do with your intelligence activating other’s insecurity. They don’t feel as valuable when encountering someone who is truly intelligent and in terrific childlike fashion, lash out and try to tear you down. It’s what crabs in a bucket do. Crabs gonna crab.

This is especially apparent if you research smart people’s general view of the social media; that it is to be avoided as much as possible. Their intelligence isn’t celebrated on social media, but instead turned into a liability to being targeted or ignored. This is sad because it was these people who provided balance to the idiots. The world could use more smart people right now as we face more disasters, tragedies, and hardships than ever. People missed the point of smart people which is to fix or keep things working. They often aren’t wanted during good times when things are easy, but they are sorely needed during bad times or when things are hard.

Where The Hell Should I Learn From?

If the internet is full of marketers, con men, and idiots claiming to be experts, then where should I learn from? I still believe books are a good option, but an even better one is to learn directly from an expert in that field. This has been my go-to tactic for every single thing I’ve wanted to learn how to do well. Learning directly from an expert will provide you not only useful information, but the experience to know what matters and what doesn’t. It provides you the chance skip years or decades of learning on your own by soaking up the knowledge from a life time of lessons. After all, this is how every single person learned for a few hundred thousand years before the internet came along.

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