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That viral '99% of people can't solve this' math problem was straight up clickbait and I fell for it for years | Debate the Data - Vivisector

jordan_hill•3mo ago

That viral '99% of people can't solve this' math problem was straight up clickbait and I fell for it for years

I used to share those Facebook puzzles all the time, thinking I was smart for getting the answer right. But last month I looked up the original source for one about order of operations that had 80k shares. Turns out the creator admitted the problem was written wrong on purpose to get engagement. They literally said the real answer depended on ambiguous notation. I felt like an idiot for not questioning it sooner. How many of those viral stat memes are just engineered to make us feel clever while padding someone's ad revenue? Has anyone else actually traced one of those 'mind blowing' stats back to its source?

3 comments

3 Comments

green.iris3mo ago

I mean yeah they're definitely clickbait but I don't know if I'd call it straight up manipulation. Most of those problems are just trying to start a conversation, even if the wording is sloppy. I've traced a few and sometimes the original context makes more sense than the viral version gives it credit for.

ryan7933mo ago

Gotta admit, I used to roll my eyes at those posts and just lump them all together as trash. Your point about tracing them back is fair though. I looked into one of those 'this simple trick will break your brain' math problems and the original was actually a professor just starting a discussion about different ways to solve things. Still clickbait for sure, but not as malicious as I assumed. It changed how I look at them a little bit, at least until the next obvious fake one pops up.

brooket433mo ago

Does anyone else remember spending way too long trying to solve that viral 'which cup gets full first' puzzle? I literally made a whole diagram on my napkin at lunch once and felt like a genius when I thought I cracked it. Then I found out later the image had a hidden pipe that made the whole thing pointless. Honestly, I think my brain just loves feeling smart for five minutes even if it's a total lie. It's like when I tell myself I could totally beat a chess grandmaster if I just practiced for a week.