> The individuals do not have to be smart here, there just has to be one person who will bother.
I don't think it works like that, most social media are a game of numbers, if one smart person was enough, you wouldn't have nonsenses like flat-earth and similar becoming "popular topics".
The statement is that the internet will find the truth. Not that they will all agree on the truth or not also find untruth. For almost every single issue the truth exists on the internet.
Because in the context of consumers, that is what internet is, social media and forums (which are social media in my book). Bloggers and other professional reports are a different story.
I don't think it works like that, most social media are a game of numbers, if one smart person was enough, you wouldn't have nonsenses like flat-earth and similar becoming "popular topics".