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submitted 1 month ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] entwine@programming.dev 16 points 1 month ago

I have a similar experience with my own father after he started using TikTok and Instagram, though it's not about ivermectin (spoiler: he thinks I'm a "commie"). I think old people are just not equipped to survive on the internet. It's like they lack the instincts to known when they're being scammed.

It gives me a tiny bit of hope for the future, because even though gen alpha aren't exactly the brightest generation so far, they're at least all fully attuned to the internet and (hopefully) better equipped to navigate its many perils.

[-] quinacridone@mander.xyz 12 points 1 month ago

I think old people are just not equipped to survive on the internet

I think its people in general

During lock down when people were at home and having to amuse themselves some made bread and did arts and crafts, whilst others ended up jumping off a cliff into conspiracy theories and right wing bollocks

One guy I know of suggested ivermectin and dog dewormers to treat my bf's cancer because 'cancer is caused by parasites.... there's plenty of information on the internet.... you can do your own research...etc etc'

I used to think the average person was mostly decent and sensible, but not anymore

[-] LetThereBeNick@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago

Never underestimate the strength of small town loyalty, where obviously everyone knows better than a century-spanning corpus of medical research

[-] LePoisson@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Idk what the hell happened to baby boomers. When I was growing up my parents (boomers) constantly reminded me you can't believe everything you read online and that the "girl" I was chatting with on AIM could actually be some fat 40 year old pedo.

That wasn't uncommon, that was the same experience all my buddies had and same thing was drilled into us at school.

Now, I'm seeing these folks treat memes on Facebook like it's the gospel truth. Or some random mommy blog post with zero references as straight facts. It's so maddening ... What happened to these people?

this post was submitted on 08 May 2026

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