We have countless information at our fingertips via the internet. Sometimes it's hard to know what information is worthwhile and which is not. For scholarly articles they must be peer reviewed - that is accepted by a group of people in the same profession or discipline. For criminal proceedings it's the number of eye witnesses. If someone (or something) in those areas does not meet those credentials then their information is of less worth than someone (or something) that has.
Popular culture seems to play by different rules. By definition popular culture is whatever is liked by the most people. It doesn't have to be anything other than liked by the most people to supplant the previous culture. Music, film, books - entertainment of all kinds - are subject to this fickle mistress. What the majority likes becomes truth.
We can see this in popular ideas about math. "Math is hard." "Girls can't do math." "I'll never use math in my life." That last one is flat wrong. As I've demonstrated we use math every single day. Yet, because that thought has permeated the masses people believe it as if it were fact. Wikipedia is another example. While a good portion of the information found there may be accurate their disclaimer is headed, "Wikipedia makes no guarantee of validity." Despite this many people cite it in conversation or as a valid source simply because everyone if familiar with it. It's popularity allows it's information - true or false - to be considered valid.
Social media has taken this idea of popular approval and turned it into something to be feared. If the "groupthink" is against something then it must be bad. Jonathan Ross withdrew as host for the Hugo Awards because of an uprising on twitter. Mozilla's CEO steps down "over his apparent opposition to gay marriage. Cultural and business leaders are coming under attack for personal views or perceived injustices. These attacks are creating change in our world and the question needs to be - is the change worth it?
Numberphile did a great video on how Pi was nearly changed to 3.2 by a bad mathematician and an ignorant state legislature. With the technology and media we have today it is more than possible that such a fundamental mathematical truth would be distorted and accepted as fact because x number of people shared it on Facebook, tweeted it, or simply passed it along. If it is popular it must be true - right?
Call me old fashion to think that Pi is 3.141...(and a bunch of other numbers). Call me a rebel if I say that bullying, which is "use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants" - such as step down from their position, is wrong and should not be tolerated. Can so many people be wrong? Yes! Since when did "everybody is doing it" become a reason to join in? It was always and will be always a lame excuse to do something that you know is wrong but want to do anyway. If everybody jumped off a cliff would you do it too? It appears that much of society already has. Don't fault me for not joining them.
Call me old fashion to think that Pi is 3.141...(and a bunch of other numbers). Call me a rebel if I say that bullying, which is "use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants" - such as step down from their position, is wrong and should not be tolerated. Can so many people be wrong? Yes! Since when did "everybody is doing it" become a reason to join in? It was always and will be always a lame excuse to do something that you know is wrong but want to do anyway. If everybody jumped off a cliff would you do it too? It appears that much of society already has. Don't fault me for not joining them.
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