Discussed, ::: The "Red Mercury" Hoax :::
Maybe it’s Google’s fault.
Please read today’s post prior to the analysis.
The issue here is language. Google’s Crawler (its robot that goes around the internet collecting information and then organizes it for you) is completely defined and understood for the English language. That is, web developers understand how Google works, and therefore realize the importance of being on Google, specifically its first page.
The internet was a key medium for the spread of this hoax (it spread through forums), so searching on Google would have been an easy step to confirm whether the hoax was true. Referring back to the three top rising searches of that week:
Note that Google searches with any of the key words (“sewing”, “machine” and “red mercury”) would lead to the forums that originally spread the hoax.
A question for readers, we’ll reply to all commenters: If one side is asking for less monitoring of internet use, but at the same time its own users are abusing it (like this hoax), what’s the solution?
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Hm, well, I don’t think that blaming the medium for the message is the answer. Con artists have and will continue to ply their trade regardless of environmental factors. In fact, since information is often the only way to fight this kind of stuff, restricting it’s flow would be a counterproductive principle. Really, though, the core of any get-rich-quick or (in this case) “get-a-nuclear-weapon-quick” scheme is the greed and gullability of those who bought into it.
This is a point I recently brought up at work, where a new, more time wasting set of safety protocols was rolled out. I asked, bluntly, if these would somehow get into the brain of dumbasses and change their basic natures to do stupid things. Was there a hypnotic, subliminal message coded there to compel them to think before they acted? If not, well, no amount of rules, policices or safeguards will keep some people from doing stupid things…
Like buying a magic sewing machine…
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the comment. I agree with your point: essentially it is the person who fell for it’s mistake. If they spoke English, could they have searched in English and figured out it was all made up? Maybe..
The important issue you raise then is education. Questions like who is responsible for educating the people?
However labeling them “dumb-asses” is not a solution and point that should be made in this discussion. OK, so they’re in a specific position or mode of thinking, but the solution should be one to restrict them from getting into that position in the first place. Any ideas?