When the internet first arrived it was supposed to revolutionize the way we access information. Information was supposed to be at our fingertips. It has succeeded in doing so for the most part, but ironically, the internet has ensured that lies, half-truths, and distortions of facts are also equally accessible to us as actual facts from credible sources. This would not be such a big problem if people who were immersed in such myth and dogma lived in their own bubble in one corner of the internet. Many such myths are shockingly mainstream.

The top three issues highlighted for 2014 concerned rising societal tensions in the Middle East and north Africa; widening income disparities; and persistent structural unemployment. Perhaps surprisingly, in tenth place was a concern over the rapid spread of misinformation online, and specifically social media's role in this. With a value of 3.35 on a scale of 1-5 this was seen as "somewhat to very significant".

First, don’t assume misinformation is obviously distinguishable from true information. Be careful. If the matter is important, perhaps you can start your search with the Internet; just don’t end there. Consult and consider other sources of authority. There is a reason why your doctor suffered medical school, why your financial advisor studied to gain that license.

Second, don’t do what conspiracy theorists did in the Facebook study. They readily spread stories that already fit their worldview. As such, they practiced confirmation bias, giving credence to evidence supporting what they already believed. As a consequence, the conspiracy theories they endorsed burrowed themselves into like-minded Facebook communities who rarely questioned their authenticity.

Instead, be a skeptic. Psychological research shows that groups designating one or two of its members to play devil’s advocates – questioning whatever conclusion the group is leaning toward – make for better-reasoned decisions of greater quality.

More than 60 percent of the American public has an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, an increase from last fall and the highest that the party’s negative rating has been since 1992.

Sixty-two percent of Americans have an unfavorable impression of the GOP compared to 33 percent who view the party favorably, according to a Pew Research Center study released Thursday. That’s a more negative image of the party than in October, when there was a split of 58 percent unfavorable to 37 percent favorable

American opinion of the Democratic Party, meanwhile, stayed about the same: 45 percent view the party favorably and 50 percent unfavorably. That leaves a quarter of the public with a negative view of both parties, an increase from past presidential election years.

My hate for Bernie and his flying monkeys is so deep that I now often find myself saying things like "get a job!" Or "take some personal responsibility!" Or "sometimes force is necessary!" Or "we have to think about business too!" Or "my taxes are going to be raised?!" etc. Anyone else? Any conservatives out there finding themselves liking Hillary?

I know it will go back but my god I hate them. Look at what they've done to me!

Yup, I've been amazed at how much I sound like a conservative now, without changing any of my positions. I now know how mainstream republicans must have felt after the tea party moved the goalposts.

Bernie Sanders' lone Senate endorser on Monday rejected the notion that the recent comments made by one of the candidate's celebrity surrogates represents more than an isolated, inflammatory incident.

"No. This is individuals going off track on their own," Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in an interview with CNN's "New Day," addressing actress Rosario Dawson's invocation of Monica Lewinsky against bullying while introducing Sanders over the weekend in Delaware.