We all know that we shouldn't believe everything we read online. I can still hear my 9th grade English teacher's voice in the back of my head warning us about the unreliability of Wikipedia. While the internet has become an invaluable source for education and connection, it can also be a cesspool of misinformation. In the current age of "fake news", it can be difficult to discern between reliable sources and unfounded claims. However, sometimes people are blatantly wrong, and their statements deserve addressing.
That's where the subreddit r/ConfidentlyIncorrect comes in. With almost 800k members, this group is dedicated to gathering examples of misinformation that have been proudly proclaimed online. It houses countless examples of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram stories and more with objectively incorrect takes that we only wish had been shared ironically. Enjoy this list we've compiled at Bored Panda of some of the best examples, and if you're in the mood to laugh at even more confidently incorrect statements later, check out some of our previous compilations here and here.
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Brb, Going To Dye My Hair Rainbow Colors So People Like This Will Be Repelled
Ignorance may be bliss, but being ridiculed on Reddit certainly is not. Logically, we should back down when called out for spreading misinformation. Interestingly enough, however, a bruised ego can actually fuel belief in false ideas. Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College political scientist, explored this so-called "backfire effect" in a 2021 article. Nyhan explained that a typical response to mistaken beliefs is to try to "set the record straight by providing accurate information—for instance, by providing evidence of the scientific consensus on climate change". Unfortunately, this is not always the most effective route.
When the listener is already skeptical, they are not likely to have an open mind. Nyhan found that even “corrective information in news reports may fail to reduce misperceptions and can sometimes increase them for the ideological group most likely to hold those misperceptions”. For example, a Democrat is more likely to accept the correction of a false statement George W. Bush made about Iraq than a Republican is. It can be hard for people to recognize their fallibility without taking it personally.
On How To Be Cool, And Not A Fool
Luckily, the backfire effect is not impenetrable. Despite being stubborn, but we are capable of changing our minds. One larger danger making misperceptions difficult to eradicate, Nyhan notes, is the media. He shares that media "frequently fails to aggressively fact-check false statements by political elites or resorts to neutral 'he said' 'she said' coverage of factual disputes". Apparently, "survey evidence indicates that false beliefs about high-profile issues often persist for years or decades despite extensive efforts by journalists, scientists, and public officials to set the record straight".
A notable example Nyhan provides of this is the belief that US troops found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003. It was made clear at the time and in the years following that there had been none found, yet a poll in 2015 revealed that 42% of Americans, including 51% of Republicans, still believed the contrary.
A similar conclusion was found when a survey was taken in 2015 asking Americans what religion President Obama practiced. Despite Obama labeling himself as Christian and attending church for years, rumors swirled that he was secretly Muslim. The poll found that 29% of Americans, including 43% of Republicans, still considered him to be Muslim.
Hiv And Covid Are The Same...right ?
Imagine Assuming People Erase Their Own Culture By Themselves
I now live in the hopes of getting an opportunity to call someone a goddamn Vitamin D deficient circus clown.
In terms of fragile egos contributing to the flourishing of misinformation, fitting in is apparently a higher priority to us than facts. Explored in a New York Times article by Max Fisher, the need to feel like we belong is surprisingly powerful. "As much as we like to think of ourselves as rational beings who put truth-seeking above all else," Fisher begins. "We are social animals wired for survival." He notes that the hostility fueled by idea polarization makes us cling to the groups where we do feel we belong. "Once our brains switch into 'identity-based conflict' mode, we become desperately hungry for information that will affirm that sense of us versus them, and much less concerned about things like truth."
Hunting Vegies
🤡🤣🤣🤣
Many of us know how political differences can sever relationships and allow prejudices to blossom, but they can also make us prone to spreading false information. An example Fisher uses is how sensitive people are to social reward. "Research demonstrates that people who get positive feedback for posting inflammatory or false statements become much more likely to do so again in the future." All press is good press, I suppose?
In fact, when retweeting information, "truthfulness of a post or accuracy of a claim was not an identified motivation". Jon-Patrick Allem, a professor of research at the University of Southern California, investigated the role social media played in fueling misinformation about Covid-19. His research concluded that "Twitter users tend to retweet to show approval, argue, gain attention and entertain". It is a social networking site, after all. But the lack of concern for truthfulness is worrying when 7 out of 10 Twitter users consider the site a news source.
Mistakes Were Made
Satan is doing a good job with his church, they're getting more likeable every day! O.o
When You Can't Tell Antennas And Solar Panels Apart
Glenn Beck Is Bad At History
Awh, who doesn’t learn the forces of nature governing our very lives in physics and chemistry class? Gravity, electromagnetism, weak and strong force and of course… the constitution of the USA
One unfortunate statistic about fake news is that age is the most accurate predictor of who will share misinformation. According to a study from Princeton University and New York University, "people 65 years of age and over are seven times more likely to share fake news than those aged 18-29". Those of us who have grown up in the age of the internet are naturally more savvy online, and it can be hard to teach our elders this digital literacy. Especially on platforms such as Facebook, it is incredibly easy for misinformation to be rapidly shared into echo chambers.
What’s The Welsh Word For ‘Overconfident’?
Anyone else slightly concerned that Great Britain STILL wants to erase other people's cultures?
If It's Not White, It's Uncivilized
I'm Counting Three Things Wrong With This
Looking for ways to break out of your own social media echo chamber? Christopher Seneca wrote a piece for Wired sharing ideas on how to avoid perpetual confirmation bias online. As comforting as it is to associate ourselves with like-minded individuals, we must not forget that challenging our ideas can be important. "Social media companies therefore rely on adaptive algorithms to assess our interests and flood us with information that will keep us scrolling," notes Seneca. But we can actively try to present ourselves with new information. The first step Seneca suggests is to "like everything". Algorithms cannot pinpoint you if you don't let them.
It's A Hoax
They're So Close To Getting It
User Tells Nfl Player To Take A Class In Economics. Well...
To be fair, a BA in a relevant topic just gets him started. That said, anyone saying that gov't officials don't have an effect on the stock market, or even more important, aren't privy to insider information because of their jobs, is either massively ignorant or deliberately lying.
The next step in branching out is to "swallow your pre-conceived opinions and follow prestige publications across the political spectrum". This helps you avoid news that is too far on either end of the spectrum, which is often pushed to incite arguments. Seneca also says to be wary of who you follow and what role they play on social media. If a friend has many followers and posts frequently, but does not follow many others, particularly no one with differing opinions, their content may not be for you. Next, Seneca recommends changing your settings to make your feed chronological, rather than the default, which pushes content the algorithm expects you to engage with. Lastly, create space for new voices. If you know someone shares your beliefs, consider muting them to allow someone else in.
Virgin Mary Irl, Amirite?
Thank you, KJ. I remember this case. It was and is disgraceful.
Load More Replies...Follow up information: They found the father within the healthcare staff
Or many men ( Not all) that would do the same thing. Think of all the recent political commentary about women being able to " shut down" a pregnancy after a rape, or how you don't want to ruin the rapists' life by charging him etc.
Load More Replies...Nice try, rapist. Also, if this person isn't the rapist, these are the kinds of people who think a woman can't get pregnant if she's raped and don't understand the human body in any way whatsoever, which is why they think you can get pregnant from a f*****g goddamned dream!!! I mean, the whole religious element is b******t, too but at least I understand where that idiocy comes from. From a dream??? Seriously...this has to be the rapist. I can't live in a world where someone truly believes this is possible. Which is sad because I'm sitting here hoping someone is a rapist over being this dumb.
JamesRTK, i am actually inclined to agree with you, and it's a shame you're being downvoted for questioning the premise of a religious text that *not everyone in the world adheres to*....don't forget though, Mary isn't the first time the virgin birth of a savior/prophet figure has appeared in relious lore.
Load More Replies...It sickens me how much this kind of thing goes on... seriously...wtf is wrong with some people! If there really was a God.... strike them all down at once and be rid of this evil... it ain't gonna happen though. These disgusting vile poor excuses for human beings will continue as they only get slaps on the pee pee for these horrific crimes. Death penalty...a good beating ..maybe this would prevent some of this and make these sickos think twice.
Load More Replies...The father of this baby was determined to be a nurse who worked at the facility and raped a coma patient. The baby is being raised by it's grandparents and the mother is no longer at that facility.
Jeezus, no, you absolute moron, you cannot get pregnant from a "dream" and she was raped by one of the workers there. She was taken advantage of and no one noticed she was pregnant until she was really far along. Do not make this into some "miracle", she was RAPED. God didn't do this, MAN did. Don't make this into some biblical miracle, this was a tragedy. The family may be happy with the child, but this woman was taken advantage of, and had NO SAY in anything that happened to her! This makes me so god damn pissed off
I remember having read that she was in a coma since the age of 3. That also means it is a child albeit in a grown body. I don't like to dwell on that.
Load More Replies...If this opinion was made public in some states in the US, Republicans would grab onto it, and refuse to allow that man to be “persecuted” by the “Left-wing agenda”. They’d actually celebrate it!
Hahahahaha. Is that person serious? Dreaming about a sexual encounter isn't going to impregnate you you freaking moron! The woman was obviously raped in her coma!!
sighhhh. i am very likely a lot younger than this person. and this is some idiotic s**t
holy disco shitballs what is it with fundie x-ian assholes who will go to such great mental gynastics to devils advocate on how a f*****g c**k could accidentally find itself goolies deep in someone who didn't want it there w/o admitting to it being goddamn RAPE... it's disgusting
I didn't understand what was wrong until I found out that she was out for well over nine months.
Er, could it be that this is the rapist? Desperately trying to convince people to not check?
It's weird they waited untill she gave birth. She should have been showing much earlier and her SO could have given a blood sample to see if it was his (if she even had an SO). Seems highly suspicious.
They thought she was gaining weight. They didn't realize the pregnancy till she was in labour. Another post explained this
Load More Replies...I feel like this is at least the 4th time this week where I've had to ask whether they still teach sex education and simple biology in schools anymore... I'm 43F and my school district taught basic reproductive biology to girls in 4th grade so they'd know what happens & why when they got their periods (the boys "didn't need to know" yet & watched a movie instead). And then sex education was taught every year in health class from 7th grade onward. Is this distinctly different from other people's experiences?
How does your body "think" you should be pregnant? Not how that works😑
Bc taking DNA samples would be a violation, but rape is some kind of miracle. Smh
I think I lost some braincells reading that drivel? Holy crap dude needs an education badly.
It despairs me that I have to share the world with people like this….
Me: Out of curiosity, are you a male worker at a health care facility?. . . Him: ...Yes . . . Me: *on phone* I have found the culprit
perhaps the person who posted that need of a miracle knows something....... the police should be questioning that one!
When there are posts like this, the OP doesn't deserve anonymity. The world needs to know who to avoid.
I love how people can accept the bible as fact, but tell me unicorns or vampires aren't. But I have faith in those things!🤣
That has to be the person that did it. Who else would try to make that argument? Ridiculous.
Tell me you are a bitchy man without telling me you are a bitchy man. Also, that poor woman...I don't know why I hadn't known about it earlier.
they shoulda saved the trouble and just checked whoever wrote thats dna
Technically, IVF allows for conception without sex, so kids who are born from IVF could be the next "virgin" birth 🤷🏼♀️
Oh.. hell no... @#$#@&$#@. Someone needs to be snuffed out for doing that to such a defenseless person.
"Talk to Her," wonderful movie by Pedro Almodovar, deals with this exact subject.
1) there are actually 12 different gender identities 2) science and research agree with it and 3) nobody asked. This post was about somebody who thought that the woman wasn’t raped, not a post about gender identities so this was uncalled for.
Load More Replies...I Do Believe We Have
Soup Of The Day
In terms of combatting the spread of misinformation, Nyhan does not want individuals to feel they are at fault. He says we "must first recognize the role that elites play in promoting false beliefs and linking them to people’s political identities". He explained that the media must stop sensationalizing news and promoting belief polarization. News outlets should "seek to avoid amplifying false claims... when discussing matters of fact and science". There is not a need for messages to be "balanced" when that means providing a platform for conspiracy theorists and deniers of science. "Instead, reporters and science communicators should emphasize the views of nonpartisan experts."
2020 + 80
Almost Like They Was Wrong
while simultaneously believing that the millions of people that have dropped dead of COVID is a lie.
From This Example I'd Say: Hard No To Homeschool, Lady
Nyhan goes on to say that personal experiences can be powerful, and he encourages readers to be observant. It is harder to deny the effects of climate change while seeing extreme weather events more frequently with our own eyes. He notes that many Americans "attribute their changed views on gay marriage to personal experiences" with those in the LGBT community. Even the widespread consensus that smoking causes cancer was helped along by many people who know someone with a smoking-related illness.
Why Won't You Say Merry Christmas?!
"That? No, that doesn't say Merry Christmas! I don't know what that says!"
“Atheism Is A Religion”
Wait.... wasn't man created using dust and gods breath? And woman from a chunk of Adams rib cage? And we're crazy?? Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Fixed
Wow! My depression is cured all thanks to this guy on the internet! My depression is suddenly gone because it is a state of mind! /s 😐
Lastly, it is not lost on Nyhan how responsive elected officials are to negative press. He calls for "high-profile scrutiny to elite rhetoric" to deter the spread of misinformation. Essentially, Nyhan is asking for those with a platform to be held accountable. Though we can choose what media we consume, to a degree, preventing false claims from being uttered in the first place is the most efficient tactic in combatting fake news.
Not Only Were They Wrong About The Time Limit, They Were Also Mathematically Incorrect 😭
💀
How Do People Believe This Rubbish
🤣🤣🤣🤣 dear lord imagine being so menopause brained you forget about menopause and blame your natural biological process on your boyfriends' vaccination.
I can't help but feel a tinge of sympathy for internet users who are drowned by the flood of misinformation that many of us know how to maneuver out of. But we must hold others responsible for clinging to false ideas and making them more widespread, especially beliefs that carry harmful prejudices. We are so lucky to live in an age where information is infinitely accessible, let's all try our best to seek out reliable sources. Never forget to engage your critical thinking skills, and when in doubt, check those facts.
Tetanus Shot Is Literally A Vaccine. The Dose You Get When Injured Is Literally A Booster
There Are No Lesbians In China
Does „I looked extensively“ mean: looked at the first Google search result?
I Think I've Proven My Point
So now we "proof our points" by spreading opinions? I see the problem a bit clearer now. -.-
Scotus Justice Worried About “Catching A Baby”
Speaking With No Accent
In Response To Georgia Applying For The Eu
I am constantly confused by this... Before we got teached the USA in geography, I only knew the European Georgia (birthplace of Stalin) and everytime I read Georgia, I think of Europe. But 99% of the time it's about the US state.
The Closest Evolutionary Relative Of Humans Is The Penguin
Is There Anyone More Confidently Incorrect Than A Religious Zealot?
That's Not How Lactation Works
Okay, so about cows and milk: for a cow to give milk, it has to have become pregnant first. This starts a lactation cycle. A cow doesn't have to continue to nurse a calf in order to keep giving milk; as long as you milk it every day, a single lactation cycle can continue for several years. But if anything interrupts the cycle, like illness, or the cow just gets badly frightened or bored (I'm not kidding), they can stop giving milk. The only thing to do in that case is breed the cow again, and start another lactation cycle. Many farmers breed their cows every year to ensure uninterrupted milking. Yup, spent some time on a dairy farm, and got family that breed dairy cows.
Fat-Shaming A Normal Size Person
64,5 kg for 1,70 m is perfectly fine. She rather not lose weight or she'll start getting underweighted.
My Husband's English Degree Is Screaming From The Drawer
This Dude Gotta Be Living In An Alternate Timeline
No no you don't understand. All those places China savagely invaded were actually part of China, so its not really an invasion (!)
The Top Review For This Manga Volume On Amazon
I'm sure on the first Page (Western style) is an explanation why this is and how to proppetly read the book. Especially for those morons every translated manga I ever Held in hand had such a manual side.
Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
A few months ago in class we had to do a ppt about the geographic features of Africa which would be graded. A friend of mine added in the ppt and said with full confidence that the Amazon Rainforest is found in Africa.
Like how that female talked about how it takes 19months to have twins?
Load More Replies...One of these days I'm going to open a newspaper or my Google feed is going to have a headline that reads "Scientists apologize. America was a failed experiment."
It has nothing to do with America and everything to do with American education
Load More Replies...Because a lot of Christians make it easy to mock. (I say this as a Christian).
Load More Replies...since the war in Ukraine started and all the informations about russia manipulating us online, in the news and politics since YEARS came out....i started to believe, that all those stupid people online are actually Russian and Chinese trolls trying to separate us... I know it sound like a conspiracy theory but it gives me hope... hope that not everyone is so stupid as they pretend to be online.
They are paid tho. My ex coworker answered and ad and that would have been her job.
Load More Replies...Sometimes I wonder if it's our own fault these people exists. We have managed to create a world so safe, no matter how idiotic these morons are, it's unlikely for natural selection to take its course . Unlike our ancestors. And with the internet, it's starting to get pretty depressing.
The thing is they are paid. It is a distraction.
Load More Replies...I really wish, before someone "explains" something, they have the CORRECT facts. Apparently the 45 year old never listened to any doctor she ever saw or any female she ever knew, what menopause was. Even jokes about it. Where has she been living, under a rock? Oh no, she'd rather spew c**p about vaccinations. Here's a thought...shut up. The only people who are OBSESSED about the vaccine are the ones NOT vaxx'd. Really!!. My SIL calls MONTHLY to see if me and the hubby(both of us vaxx'd) have gotten Covid yet. Nope. But she and her unvaxxed kids are getting it month after month.
A few months ago in class we had to do a ppt about the geographic features of Africa which would be graded. A friend of mine added in the ppt and said with full confidence that the Amazon Rainforest is found in Africa.
Like how that female talked about how it takes 19months to have twins?
Load More Replies...One of these days I'm going to open a newspaper or my Google feed is going to have a headline that reads "Scientists apologize. America was a failed experiment."
It has nothing to do with America and everything to do with American education
Load More Replies...Because a lot of Christians make it easy to mock. (I say this as a Christian).
Load More Replies...since the war in Ukraine started and all the informations about russia manipulating us online, in the news and politics since YEARS came out....i started to believe, that all those stupid people online are actually Russian and Chinese trolls trying to separate us... I know it sound like a conspiracy theory but it gives me hope... hope that not everyone is so stupid as they pretend to be online.
They are paid tho. My ex coworker answered and ad and that would have been her job.
Load More Replies...Sometimes I wonder if it's our own fault these people exists. We have managed to create a world so safe, no matter how idiotic these morons are, it's unlikely for natural selection to take its course . Unlike our ancestors. And with the internet, it's starting to get pretty depressing.
The thing is they are paid. It is a distraction.
Load More Replies...I really wish, before someone "explains" something, they have the CORRECT facts. Apparently the 45 year old never listened to any doctor she ever saw or any female she ever knew, what menopause was. Even jokes about it. Where has she been living, under a rock? Oh no, she'd rather spew c**p about vaccinations. Here's a thought...shut up. The only people who are OBSESSED about the vaccine are the ones NOT vaxx'd. Really!!. My SIL calls MONTHLY to see if me and the hubby(both of us vaxx'd) have gotten Covid yet. Nope. But she and her unvaxxed kids are getting it month after month.