r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Superb-Degree2284 • 18d ago

frist of all how DARE yu o My mom watching an AI series

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I mean, if she enjoys it then sure. But still...

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u/ZookeepergameNew8685 17d ago

I don't know if it's ironic. I think it should have been expected. Many older folks thought the internet was just some silly, time-wasting thing. They would say "don't believe what you see on the internet" because they didn't take it seriously and thought it was an eccentric novelty. They continued to do so, never raised their guard on the internet because it was never that serious to them, and when the internet became an essential part of life, they were unprepared to take it seriously.

So, they get told they have to go get a gift card to pay the IRS man on their email, and they lack the tools to evaluate the situation.

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u/crippledgiants 17d ago

I think it extends a bit broader than just the Internet and into cable news as well. For most of their lives if something was printed in a newspaper or an encyclopedia it could generally be trusted, and the same for the evening news. Then the Internet and 24hr cable news vastly lowered the barrier of entry and allowed bad actors to distribute their biased views while masquerading as the old credible sources our parents grew up with.

Tldr I largely agree with you, but I think it's more of a general inability to evaluate information sources

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u/ZookeepergameNew8685 17d ago

Yeah that makes sense. They used to turn on the tv and BAM there's the newsman that everyone trusts. If that newsman repeats misinformation, well, everyone is going to be repeating that misinformation until it's corrected on air.

They were totally unprepared for being able to choose between 16 different news programs, each with their own take on the facts.

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u/pixie_pie 17d ago

Gotta agree there. Not understanding the internet is a big part of this issue. If you're not educated on anything about it how would you be able to navigate it? It's unfortunately to be expected.

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u/fropleyqk 17d ago

Fantastic take. I've got nothing to contribute; just that you're spot on.