Social scientists speak of “group polarization,” which means that when like-minded people get together, they often go to extremes. Social scientists also speak of “informational cascades,” which occur when information, even if false, quickly spreads from one person to another, with the result that numerous people end up believing something, not because they have independent reason to think that it is true, but because other people seem to believe it. Because of “confirmation bias,” people are inclined to believe things that fit with what they already believe or want to believe. That means that
...more
