Certain of your intellectual superiority? Set aside social media and YouTube videos

I feel like an abundance of the problems we’re currently experiencing in America are caused by a sudden eruption of people who think they’re really smart — like genius adjacent — when they’re not.

Please note that I’m saying this as a person who, based on all of my academic records and test scores, is of average intelligence. So, yeah, I realize there’s some irony in a person who’s admittedly not a “scholar” writing about being smart. But just stay with me because I think I’m on to something.

Let’s start with how I think this wave of faux brilliance began. Sadly, I fear I might have had a hand in creating it. This is because I’m a parent and being a parent of a zoomer and millennial meant telling your kids that their intellect was unparalleled beginning at day one post womb.

The problem is that’s not sustainable. At some point you’re going to realize that your child is, ahem, talented in some areas more than others. This is when you usually pivot to telling your darling that everyone has their strengths. Or you can choose to continue to double down on your child being one of the greatest minds ever to grace an ACT prep class.

Aiding some parents in this delusional journey is the current epidemic of grade inflation in both high school and college. Studies are showing that while performances on standardized tests are plunging, GPAs are soaring. It seems the easy A has never been easier.

So one of the main things young adults may be “learning” is that they’re brainiacs, when they’re far from it.

Now let’s pivot to that really scary place: social media. I say scary because nothing has bolstered and emboldened people to believe their intellectual superiority more than social media. Through status updates and posts a person can spew something online and immediately find support for their statement.

It doesn’t matter if there’s not a shred of truth to what they say or zero evidence to back up their claim, a person can always find a fan-base. Not even grammatically challenged sentences or ideas that belie the basic principles of science will stop someone online from bestowing a “like” or a “heart” applauding this “genius” thinking.

The biggest scourge, though, has to be the rise of the “Internet Know It All.” Some people now think watching a couple of YouTube videos makes you an expert on a wide variety of topics. Sure, the internet can educate you — but alas, I don’t think it replaces medical school or electrician training.

Because there are two things I will never do: my own brain surgery or electrical wiring repair, because both would equal certain death. Yet the world is now awash in people who think their knowledge is vast because they read or watched something online. Never mind if it’s from a dubious source or a Russian bot farm.

This confluence of over-hyped brain power, social media and the internet have led us to a place where I believe too many people think they’re the smartest in the room. All of this has helped foster an environment where people don’t want to listen or give credence to a thought that’s not uniquely theirs, and God forbid be told that they’re wrong — ever.

It used to be a sign of intelligence to admit you didn’t know something, then be open to learning about it. Now that’s considered a weakness.

And I fear we’re all worse off because of it.

Reach Sherry Kuehl at snarkyinthesuburbs@gmail.com, on Facebook at Snarky in the Suburbs, on Twitter at @snarkynsuburbs on Instagram @snarky.in.the.suburbs, and snarkyinthesuburbs.com.