Critical Thinking -critical in these critical times

A talk on the abc radio, the Big Ideas, was about misinformation, bias, and the confirmation bias.

 Bias I knew, but confirmation bias, what is it? 

The definition of this new term was quite interesting, similar to bias, but building on it, that how listening to what someone already believes in, confirms, and reinforces their bias.

And I started again to think, and explore what we want to know, or don't want to know. 

In an information overload status of our mind, we are inundated with ideologues, controversial opiniated view points, or statements, and of course, they all come with evidence. And, we,  however, tend to lean towards, and believe in those statements that confirm what we already believe in.

Where is critical thinking in all this ? 

Most of our information, what we are reading or listening to is usually a product of some competing entities, arguing from opposite or at least quite contrasting points of view. Only because we are told by someone, whom we admire or believe in, someone who has some authority, we accept their statements on topics, even though, they actually might not have much authority in.

Where is critical thinking in all this ? 

And was reminded of the following quote which shows with such an explicit way the folly

 “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you never know if they are true.” - Abraham Lincoln