The simple truth is that something like the Bell Curve applies very definitely to human capability.
As an arbitrary origin point it is necessary to ignore perhaps the whole bottom 50% of the population. Then, by focussing on the remainder, we can see the quite rapid changes in social evolution, which basically only happen quickly in that upper group.

The Internet is not comparable to the Printing Press, it is closer to the wheel. The biggest challenge it poses to our Owners (the top 1% who own everything and everyone) is that it makes lying far less possible, especially the convenient, time-critical lies of social engineering.

As the clever Used-Car Salesman knows, the "dumb market" is definable by being lazy and uninformed. He can lie about the "great deal" on the heap he is selling because his prospect is unable, or unwilling (or both), to spend the time checking the market.

The Internet offers almost instant "cetification" to even the laziest/busiest upper 50% buyer/seeker of information, with consummate ease and a little Googling.

THIS is where the "Smart Mob" is developing, this is the "Swarm Intelligence" scenario for the future and will be the most interesting challenge for a whole civilisation that is today *almost totally* reliant on Great Lies and opportune timeframes before their discovery.

As soon as this upper 50% cognite on the methodolgy, the open circle of self-auditing advice that Forums/BBS present, marketing and selling will be a very different ballgame....
IMHO