You're incorrect about the origin. According to Merriam-Webster [1]:
> We can thank Norman Mailer for factoid: he used the word in his 1973 book Marilyn (about Marilyn Monroe), and he is believed to be the coiner of the word.
But who cares? A word totally invented just five short decades ago quickly morphed, as MW continues:
> The word has since evolved so that now it most often refers to things that decidedly are facts, just not ones that are significant.
Why should Norman Mailer's made-up definition get precedence over the people who actually use it? Just because you coin something doesn't mean you own it. I don't think future historians are going to be confused. Never in my life have I encountered the word "factoid" used in Mailer's sense, until reading your comment. The new definition has long since taken over, long live fun little facts — long live factoids!
> We can thank Norman Mailer for factoid: he used the word in his 1973 book Marilyn (about Marilyn Monroe), and he is believed to be the coiner of the word.
But who cares? A word totally invented just five short decades ago quickly morphed, as MW continues:
> The word has since evolved so that now it most often refers to things that decidedly are facts, just not ones that are significant.
Why should Norman Mailer's made-up definition get precedence over the people who actually use it? Just because you coin something doesn't mean you own it. I don't think future historians are going to be confused. Never in my life have I encountered the word "factoid" used in Mailer's sense, until reading your comment. The new definition has long since taken over, long live fun little facts — long live factoids!
[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/factoid