And a serious answer: the internet has certainly democratized access to information.

And it goes without saying (so I am going to say it) that it has also democratized the spread of misinformation and weakened trust in those authorities who have spent time removing us from the ignorance of history and masses and into the age of reason and information.

When every voice is the same, then no one’s voice matters. There are certainly times when the “wrong” voices are the only ones heard (fascist leaders, flat earthers, covid deniers, etc.) but on the whole I think we were better off when the news was curated by editors rather than any moron with a keyboard, when science was handled by uh, scientists, when we looked to the teaching profession to learn about teaching, and so on.

Clearly there are exceptions both ways, and “the internet” is not to blame (nor to praise) for our current condition. It just is what it is, and we have to make the best of it. Sadly, there are many determined to make the worst of it.