One of the downsides to the internet is that it allows people to become instant 'experts' on all sorts of subjects by simply carrying out a Google search and piecing a few bits of information together or by discussing things on various online forums. While in some respects this is great and it has allowed many people to save a lot of time and money by carrying out some basic research, there are however a couple of potential problems with this approach.
Firstly, there is quite a lot of misinformation out there. There is nobody policing the internet to make sure that only factually correct information gets put up on websites and forums. Often bad information is just copied and repeated, which then gives the impression that it is correct because so many people are saying the same thing. The second problem is that some people are too trusting and believe everything that they read - particularly if it backs up what they want to hear. The next problem is the old saying about a little bit of information being a dangerous thing. With the internet it is so easy to get some information and then jump to some incorrect conclusions based on that. Lastly, people are too eager to give advice that is well meaning but just simply incorrect if they are armed with a little bit of information, some good intentions and a desire to show off from the comfort of an anonymous post on a forum somewhere.
We have seen a prime example of this recently in relation to the Swiss Franc Mortgage problem in Cyprus. What has happened is that the banks have issued proceedings against some property owners for not keeping up with their mortgage payments. The banks have issued writs in Cyprus but many people would prefer to have proceedings take place in the UK. Many people, in fact, believe that there is no need to do anything about the Cypriot Writs as they believed that they could then challenge this when the banks try and enforce this in the UK. This is incorrect but unfortunately the internet has made people believe this and this myth has perpetuated. The more that it is repeated the more people believed it, particularly if they want to believe it.
