Social media has been a wonderful thing, but it has a dark side. It has given millions of people a voice, which in many ways is beautiful. Folks who were once ignored can now tell their stories, share knowledge, and build community across miles and oceans. That kind of connection would have seemed like science fiction not that long ago.

But the shadow side of that freedom is noise. Too many people believe that having a platform makes them an expert. A microphone does not magically turn into a library. A viral post is not the same thing as knowledge earned through study, experience, and humility.

The internet has created a strange little theater where confidence often outruns competence. The loudest voice in the room gets mistaken for the wisest one. Meanwhile, real experts—people who have spent years reading, researching, questioning, and learning—often get drowned out by folks who skimmed an article, watched a two-minute video, and now feel qualified to lecture the world.

There’s also something about social media that feeds the ego. It rewards certainty, even when certainty isn’t warranted. Algorithms don’t promote careful thinking or intellectual humility. They promote engagement. And nothing engages people faster than someone speaking with absolute authority, even when they’re wrong.

Knowledge, real knowledge, is slower than that. It requires curiosity, patience, and the willingness to admit when you don’t know something. The older I get, the more I realize that the smartest people in the room are usually the ones asking questions, not the ones declaring themselves experts on everything.

Social media can be a powerful tool, but like any tool, it reflects the hands using it. It can spread wisdom, or it can spread foolishness at the speed of light. And some days, scrolling through the internet feels less like visiting a library and more like wandering through a crowded bar where everybody thinks they’re the professor.