It wasn't just Wikipedia, which was a relatively recent addition to the web, everything online was a 'load of rubbish'.
In turn-of-the-century boomer world, reality was what you saw on TV. If you saw something with your own eyes that contradicted the world view presented by the media, then one's eyes were to be disbelieved. The only reputable sources of news were the mainstream media outlets. The only credible history books would be those with reviews from the mainstream media, with anything else just being the 'ramblings of a nutter'.
In short, we built a beautiful post-truth world and now we are set on outsourcing our critical thinking to LLMs.
In turn-of-the-century boomer world, reality was what you saw on TV. If you saw something with your own eyes that contradicted the world view presented by the media, then one's eyes were to be disbelieved. The only reputable sources of news were the mainstream media outlets. The only credible history books would be those with reviews from the mainstream media, with anything else just being the 'ramblings of a nutter'.
In short, we built a beautiful post-truth world and now we are set on outsourcing our critical thinking to LLMs.