r/TooAfraidToAsk • u/fufufuuud • May 06 '22
Why are so many questions posted in this sub things that you could just google? Meta
like seriously why don't people just take 2 seconds to google it and find out if they're so curious?
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u/BubblySiren May 06 '22
Maybe people want to start a conversation
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u/WartimeHotTot May 06 '22
Exactly. Google sucks for many things and it's nice to hear from actual people.
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u/PureLawfulness6404 May 06 '22
Sometimes google gives an unclear or conflicting answer. I would come here to clear the fog
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u/Own_Patient_7721 May 06 '22
I can’t lie I did this like 2 or three times because I was bored
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u/Outcasted_introvert May 06 '22 •
And there's nothing wrong with that. Talking g to people is fine, even if the chat is considered mundane or unoriginal by some others.
Ignore the gatekeepers, let's keep chatting.
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u/Tzuyu4Eva May 06 '22
I’d also add that a lot of people want to start an argument
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u/Don-Blaubart May 06 '22
Words that can cause an argument - "hey, wanna start an argument?"
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u/JlTlS May 06 '22
Maybe a conversation, not an argument. Disagreement doesn't have to resolve, but it may enlighten.
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u/zapburd May 06 '22
Exactly, like how are you going to complain about free content. A lot of questions that get posted here i wouldn’t know the answers to if not for this sub
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u/Dotura May 06 '22
The irony is that you made a question that has been asked many many times before in this sub and could have been found by, you guessed it, googling.
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May 06 '22
[deleted]
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u/Incorect_Speling May 06 '22
Tomorrow on r/LPT : using google to search "topic reddit" is more effective than using reddit search.
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u/bunny_in_the_moon May 06 '22
Google doesn't have karma
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u/Jhilixie May 06 '22
Yeah. Internet points. I have over 60k. How is my life? Still the same.
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u/chuckit22 May 06 '22
Keep grinding. Once you hit 100k of karma, you unlock a new tier of life.
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u/LolaBijou May 06 '22
You get added to a ridiculous sub for people over 100k karma. My life is complete now.
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u/De_Wouter May 06 '22
When you Google, you most likely get an highly SEO optimized article written by 1 person and only showing 1 perspective on the subject and the information might also be outdated.
Posting a question might give you answers from many different perspectives being "peer reviewed" by other Redditors with up/down votes and comments.
Also many questions aren't actually questions but spreading a message framed and packaged as a question. Like your post here.
But yes, many questions could just be Googled and have direct answers.
Unless you live a country where Google is blocked.
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u/koka4life May 06 '22
I would assume it's to get actual feed back from humans.
Unless it's a fact Google will give you opinions, here's the catch Google will give you opinions based on your own opnioms (history, interests etc)
We could Google is the earth flat, for me it'll say no but for a flat earther it will try to get articles that say yes the earth is flat. (Its not usually this drastic/obvious buy it happens.) Too afraid to ask is a way to get uncensored opinions.
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u/xxjamescharlesxx May 06 '22
I always Google reddit opinions after I've looked at articles. Reddit commenters don't give a shit about anything but what they care about, and sometimes that's good. Reddit commenters aren't censored by trying to be marketable or whatever also.
I'd always rather hear a peers opinion than a random Internet articles top 5 suggestions... I think that's how it's supposed to be...
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u/Vivladi May 06 '22
Reddit commenters are also just as liable to talk confidently about things they know nothing about. Read a highly upvoted comment in a big subreddit about something you’re an expert in and you’ll be way more wary of what people here say.
Specialty subs are good but holy shit the amount in incorrect speculation and nonsense on the big subs is exhausting
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u/FiveNations54 May 06 '22
You're talking about algorithms designed to operate that way. Google doesn't exclusively work that way, but it can be influenced to work that way.
People lie here, and say stupid shit all the time, and you think they're somehow more authentic than Google? Where the fuck do you think they get most of the answers?
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u/koka4life May 06 '22
Again, when researching fact. Google is better. When looking for opinions reddit is better. I apologize if that wasn't clear enough.
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u/Lu1435_Jade May 06 '22
Some questions can be explained differently by humans interacting with you (for example, simplifying something). It also allows the poster to answer to the comments they receive, which can be useful if they don't understand/want to ask something else related. Some questions also have keywords that will lead to another thing on Google, whereas a human will understand what you mean with some explication
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u/BrowserBowser52 May 06 '22
I imagine they like the social interaction of posting rather than googling. Nothing wrong with that imho.
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u/theloniousmick May 06 '22
Because Google results always take you to a Reddit post of someone asking the same question with replies saying "just Google it" and having no answers.
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u/4AcidRayne May 06 '22
I think part of it, outside the "getting to interact with humans" aspect is that google gives mostly links to articles created to generate views, not to inform. Recently I've been googling a lot for DIY and 99% of the stuff that's in the top five pages of search results is complete crap that would often make the problems worse, not better.
Meanwhile, a site like reddit, it's people who aren't (to my knowledge) getting paid to write here. Yeah, maybe a bot or two, but nobody's writing stuff just to fill a page and make bank. So you're actually getting real intel from real people who have actual knowledge about the question. Not somebody who's typing articles in broken English from their Philippine apartment for 2 cents per article, making it up as they go along.
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u/Joseph_Furguson May 06 '22
To certain young people, "Google it" is an insult.
It is also against the rules of the subreddit. You can get 24 hours worth of suspension if you say it.
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u/Knuckles316 May 06 '22
People want to have a conversation.
The better question is why does someone feel the need to ask this question once a week?
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u/PerfectIsBetter May 06 '22
For that sense of companionship and camaraderie you get from shouting into a void and having it yell nonsense and insult you back ofc
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u/Zhwele May 06 '22
Google doesn't give you the viewpoints of others who may see things differently than you.
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u/twenty24four7 May 06 '22
Most of the stuff on Reddit can be Googled. The idea is to stumble upon various topics while scrolling, getting to know something new, and engaging in the conversation or others perspectives. Something that I won't get on Google.
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u/ryeshoes May 06 '22
serious answers:
- mods allow it
- people like to upvote reposts so now there's an incentive to repost instead of creating OC
- people want to talk to people about the question
- google doesn't answer precisely the question they want (and they are not capable of phrasing it differently to indicate this)
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u/D0ugF0rcett May 06 '22
I usually add :reddit to the end of my Google searches. Google algorithm sucks fat donkey balls now.
I've even started using BING instead on occasion when reddit can't give me what I need!
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u/ComplexAd7272 May 06 '22
Karma farming is a big reason, but I've learned sometimes people just want to engage in conversation.
My best friend is notorious for this in real life....asking basic questions like what that actor's name was in that movie, what time a place closed, where the nearest store was....it took me a while to realize he wasn't Google-challenged, he was engaging me like a human being.
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u/gyman122 May 06 '22
Because people want to start a dialogue or they’re not sure how to phrase something to get the answer they’re looking for
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u/KinkyKitty24 May 06 '22
I think part of it has to do with poor reading comprehension, and/or received conflicting answers based on the sites, and the desire to get input from actual people.
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u/jazzzmin2912 May 06 '22
Some things are for some reasom hard to find on google, like specifix stuff, and asking on reddit where mostly real people answer and talk abt ir from own experience or own knowledge is like more "calming" for some people
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u/TheTurtleCub May 06 '22
Here you get more varied replies. For example, I just saw a great list of ideas to insert up your butt before a colonoscopy to surprise your doctor.
If you google what to put up your butt before the procedure, the consensus seems to be NOTHING
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u/Thymepasseson May 06 '22
I just googled your question, but google pointed me back here. Does this happen to anyone else?
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u/smolanonymousecat May 07 '22
Umm because we’re all lonely af and have been googling shit alone in our rooms for years now…we just want to connect with other people
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May 07 '22
People want upvotes or are trying to ask loaded questions to elicit a response they can argue with.
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u/Komirade666 May 07 '22
Most of the search in google are long article with filler words. I prefer having a conversation with someone with a thourough explanation and also straight to the point. It feels nicer imo.
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May 06 '22
I often wonder the same thing. It makes no sense to me. I'm a nutritionist and I am shocked at how often my clients text me a question that really doesn't have anything to do with our coaching but it's something easily found out on the internet.
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u/Weird-Buffalo-3169 May 06 '22
Google searches throw tons of ads at us, this gives more real people opinions and experiences
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May 06 '22
Sometime people not only want to learn the answer but also want to know the opinion that people around the world hold regarding the topic in question.
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u/Legitimate-Thanks-37 May 06 '22
Because they are too afraid to ask google. (Search history)
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u/Largeheadphones May 06 '22
Every browser has an incognito mode to protect your search history from showing up on you PC as far as I'm aware.
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u/smokebomb_exe May 06 '22
Because sometimes a human answer (and examples) are better than Google answers. Plus, the jokes.
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u/Melan420 May 06 '22
If I'm posting a question on reddit I obviously already googled it but didn't get my answer
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u/ihavenochilllll May 06 '22
cos when i google anything, i type “reddit” at the end of it to get the REAL answer
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u/bigedthebad May 06 '22
Google doesn’t always give you a complete or satisfactory answer. You also can’t ask google follow up or clarifying questions.
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u/brunonicocam May 06 '22
I think there are a lot of "fake" questions here, people make up a controversial question hoping to get either attention or karma.
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u/holdingontouke May 06 '22
TBH, when I have a question I will 'Google' it with Reddit at the end. Typically, the top answer in the thread is better than the results Google provides.
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u/Vladnieshka May 06 '22
The sub name is actually short for " TooAfraidToAskGoogle "
but some people like to have a discussion, not just a flat answer too, so that I'm sure has some play into it.
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u/Callec254 May 06 '22
People like to have discussion and hear personal anecdotes relating to a question.
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u/RailRuler May 06 '22
Some people want to start a controversy and watch the fireworks. Other times it's a "push poll" trying to advertise something or manipulate people's opinion.
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u/Vast-Combination4046 May 06 '22
People like the conversations. It's a form of entertainment for me.
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u/HeavensHellFire May 06 '22
A good portion of the questions on this sub is either easily answered through google or people just seeking an echo chamber
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u/WutzUpples69 May 06 '22
I googled why and it's because people are too lazy to open another tab in their browser.
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u/BackinZac May 06 '22
Ugh. This comment. For the same reason new players ask the same questions every new player asks on gaming subreddits instead of just googling it. Sometimes it’s just more fun to discuss a shared interest than it is to just google it. It’s really not that difficult to understand.
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u/TheFlean May 06 '22
Because googling is not easy. Some people just don’t know how to use a search engine.
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u/khagol May 06 '22
Also people ask questions here that could be asked on AksReddit or DoesAnybodyElse. I feel like questions on this subreddit should be the ones that one would generally afraid to ask, hence the name.
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u/Ennion May 06 '22
People want fake internet points for their ignorance.
Google will simply give you a few answers and then targeted advertising about them.
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u/bestryanever May 06 '22
You don't get the attention and validation of strangers by googling an answer
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u/Brainemy May 06 '22
Some articles that you read on the internet are biased/one sided or very opinionated. When people ask here, you get a diverse perspective from people of different cultures, ages, genders etc.
It is a more complete picture/answer to your question IMO 😃
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u/Sea_Waltz2353 May 06 '22
My bf just asked me this. He didn’t understand why we would turn to strangers on the internet but I told him we can get more realistic responses on here and it’s just more entertaining to read then a website or blog. I genuinely feel like other peoples opinions matter to me, even if they are disagreeing it’s still a good read/conversation.
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u/Specialist_Good_8559 May 06 '22
A quick Google search could have told you that people seek the affirmation of other people.
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u/SpittingCake May 06 '22
Google doesn’t spark a discussion/get other peoples views all in one place.
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u/gehanna1 May 06 '22
Because it's better to pass the time in conversation and engaging with others.
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u/SpittingCake May 06 '22
Google doesn’t spark a discussion/get other peoples views all in one place.
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u/arcadiangenesis May 06 '22
Probably because they want to see an actual person's response typed out in an open forum, which feels more personal than pulling a random search result from the whole internet.
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u/Satan_Lma0 May 06 '22
I’m not good at wording questions on google and can never find a clear answer. The real question is why other Reddit users have to be so rude to people just looking for advice or asking questions they genuinely don’t know? That’s why Reddit is a thing.
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u/Sensitive-Stock-9805 May 06 '22
I ask this to myself all the time. The Nextdoor app really cracks me up that people will literally ask "What hours is City Hall open?" and I think of when I started in computers and the fact that we have this remarkable technology right in our hands.
But I think for here.. it can be Karma, it can be a yell in the void to see if they are alone, it can be habit, it can be attention seeking, it can be lazy, or any one of a million things that other people do that are a total mystery to so many of us. In other words, it's likely just a human with a thought or a habit.
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u/mrgeetar May 06 '22
Why talk to people when you can just find an internet post that agrees with you and read that instead?
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u/Gunty1 May 06 '22
You can literally google anything. Doesnt mean you'll get the answers you want, or a conversation.
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u/YorkshireCat May 06 '22
Simpler answers here. Plus hearing different opinions and that. It's just fun?
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u/capalbertalexander May 06 '22
Sometimes it's more about starting a discussion than just a simple question answer response. Usually you go to a forum like reddit, ask a questions then ask follow up questions in response. It can create a much more thorough understanding of the subject as a whole
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u/timawesomeness May 06 '22
People want it explained to them in the format that this sub offers. Google results can be very impersonal and don't offer the opportunity to, for example, ask further questions about a provided answer.