Downfall of recorded history?

Could the internet be the downfall of the recorded history of man?
With so many differing opinions in the world today and so many different beliefs, where do you go for the truth?

Any given subject that you wish to research or learn about has numerous websites that contradict each other so how do you know what's the truth anymore? For every source that says "A" happened you can get 2 others that say "B" happened.

It is getting to the point that one does not know what is the truth anymore unless you were actually there when it happened.

When I was a kid or young adult and I wanted to research something I went to my set of encyclopedias and read about the event and took for granted it had been researched and that I was reading the truth.
Now so many things that happened in the past and that we have been taught are said to be wrong now in later years.
Are they? How can we be sure of anything anymore.
You learn about the Holocaust growing up and now there are people that claim it never happened although I believe they are nuts. I personally have met people who were there and have seen the numbers tattooed on their skin.

There are millions of websites out there and people will use one and cite from it because it follows their own beliefs although not necessarily the truth.

All the internet has become is a place you can find a source to back up any outrageous claim you wish to make.

Where is the truth?

How does one find it?

Everything today is a lie, it just comes down to which lie you want to believe......

It's to the point that if "I didn't see it happen" or have concrete proof then it didn't.

Anybody have any input on this subject?

People have always tried to make their cases - you need to look further and find out the agenda -- who pays for a website - who writes for it. It really isn't to difficult. Actually it seems easier with the internet than it did when I was in college and had to comb the stacks for the truth.

reply to post by mwood


If anything the internet can AT LEAST be used for perspective. Nothing has worsened with the internet, merely changed. Pre-internet the only source of information came from what, newspaper and tv right? Their sources are just as likely to be inaccurate (more specifically biased) than the internet. The only way to see truth (which can be difficult even while doing so) is living through experience. Also, watching un-edited video clips can be PRETTY good which the internet helps us with...

As far as I see it, the internet is not the downfall, it is how people abuse it. ATS is generally a pretty good resource because someone will post a link, and a majority will form in threads proving or disproving things in either direction.

Yeah, but look on the bright side,

chocolate ration's are up to 25grams!

History has mostly been written by those in power to control or to glorify.

Look at all the old war history, evil Germans, Japs etc... The internet has helped alot of people realise that evil was on all sides in ww2 and that the allies were the bad guys in ww1. Not what i learnt in school.

reply to post by mwood


I don't think there has been a legit form of "recorded history of man" for a loooooong time...if EVER...

I don't think the internet is muddying the waters so to speak anymore than literature has done over the ages. Its simply too easy to change the story, mislead, misguide, misinterpret, and mix in half-truths over years and years to get anywhere near a coherent consistent and truthful version of anything…

Remember its His Story…

Sometimes I wonder if the records in Alexandria weren’t destroyed because they were found out to be all fraudulent works that had been deceiving man-kind for thousands of years and tricking them into voluntary forms of slavery etc…

I don't think the internet is any different than any other period of time when lies were spread...maybe the internet will create so much chaos in the understanding of our history people will just stop beliving in everything...hmm