A very smart friend suggests that people seeking information on the Internet don’t necessarily want the right answer, but rather an easily accessible answer. I was reminded of his comments by this from Matthew Nisbet:
In the digital age, information is found based on availability rather than accuracy. If different interest groups start blogs that attack peer-reviewed science, and the scientific community does not engage in similar communication mode, they will miss an important opportunity to educate the public.
This, it seems to me, is a strong argument in favor of RealClimate.
“people seeking information on the Internet don’t necessarily want the right answer, but rather an easily accessible answer”
…and one that supports their argument (which is why they were looking in the first place).
We have news programs that cater to our views (FOX, NPR, etc). Why not search engines as well?
Want a global warming denialist argument when you search for “global warming” and “sun”? Press the “Google right-winger search” button.
I’m kidding, of course. Everyone knows Google has no “Right-winger” button. They have a “Left-winger” one (on the left side of the page, of course) that is simply called “Google search”.
Want a
It’s called ‘confirmation bias’, and drives lots of argumentation based on ideology.
Best,
D