Why Do Some People Believe Everything That They Read?

Once upon a time, if you wanted to check the accuracy of something that you read or heard about, you would have to go to the library and search (manually) through the encyclopedia, or the microfiche of old newspapers, or even hunt down an expert in the field who could set you straight. It was hard work, but many of us did the work because we didn't want to get suckered by every idiotic statement that someone made in a bar, or (if you were a kid) in the schoolyard. But it seems like, now that we have almost unlimited access to information via the Internet, people refuse to utilize this virtually bottomless source of information and believe the first stupid meme that appears on Facebook. Research is easier than it ever was, although many, if not most, people, use this huge resource to find the first thing that backs up their preconceived notion. What's worse, is that even lazy people have a shortcut to check the accuracy of the crap they read. The best known fact-checking site is snopes.com, but there are others out there who will do the work for you if you are too busy posting cat videos. But even without resorting to a fact checking site it is so easy to do the research yourself that it makes no sense not to.