One of the problems is that the Internet is not limited to reputable information.  So along with cited and scrutinized information, there is also studies and blogs and communities expousing absolute bullshit.

This compounded with hive-minded online communities who are nothing more than echo-chambers, these people are never exposed to conflicting opinion.

Then, at least in America, their is a growing divisiveness (politically).

There seem to be a lot of factors that have slowly been building this resilience to reason and hard headedness.

that left me, to an extent, dumbfounded at what I was reading. Not your average stupidity or ignorance, but people deliberately choosing to ignore the truth because it didn't align with their bias. And I'm also not talking about vague philosophical issues or hot topics where there's still major contention between both sides of the debate, but actual aspects thereof which really aren't open to dispute.

One of my friends kept saying Marty O'Donnell wasn't fired, and how he left was unknown. My fucking god! it was driving me insane, how can someone dispute whether or not someone was fired, when there is proof?