Knowledge has become democratized in modern society. This site is a great example of that. We read information passed on between individual people from all walks of life rather than just the sources of authority that used to reign supreme. Ranting and raving provide open opinions for debate, but a great deal of harm also comes from the internet.
A growing number of people are using the web to diagnose themselves, find solutions to their problems, or make a quick buck (so much spam...). All of this has caused a wide spread of information as the truth from people who are not trained or educated to hold that type of authority. It's good for those of us who have always wanted a voice, yet at the same time we overlook the power of our words. People have good intentions. My personal philosophy is that people do not want to hurt others, though that doesn't necessarily mean we want to help others. The same applies to the other side. We want to help others, though we don't necessarily think about the harm we may be doing.
One of the best and most recent examples of this is the vaccine-autism link. It had become so widespread that celebrities jumped on board and pushed it into the mainstream. Despite all of the overwhelming evidence against it and the fact that the original article was revoked the public is still pushing the motion.
Specialists are specialists for a reason. They spend many years and decades learning, developing and keep up with the information in their field. In comparison, people on the internet most likely have a full-time job that isn't in their area of 'research' and as a result spend a fraction of the time learning from unofficial sources. If the amount of depth and complexity was actually revealed to them it would probably blow their mind (though they would probably stubbornly stick to their opinion).
Given all of this, I won't deny that there are some specialists that are better than others. Some have ulterior motives or don't have the best intentions. Not all science is the truth, but for those of us who understand the scientific process we know it isn't meant to find the truth. At best it highlights falsehoods. Science makes a lot of mistakes and from those mistakes we get closer to obtaining the truth.
Knowledge is a human specialty. We love information and we are very good at making connections. Sometimes too good. Pointing fingers at things is very naive. There is no one cause of any one thing. Everything is part of a system and it is the way that everything works together that creates the changes that we see everyday.
Do keep in mind the next time you're searching for that next miracle diet, the instant cure, or that instant fix that you should take it with a grain of salt. Things that work and things that are true tend to stick around. Everything else is just a fad.
If you are one of those people trying to help others, be careful of what you post. You may think it is the best solution, but keep in mind that you may be doing harm as well. With great power comes great responsibility. Even when the power isn't that great the responsibility part still holds true.