When millions of people accept an idea ,it becomes easy to stand by it. And if that idea turns out to be wrong, we won't be alone in being responsible. We can say that everyone believed this, but if we stand alone ,we will also have to answer for our position.

Perhaps this is why the crowd doesn't just give e us company ,it also divides our responsibility. By following others' opinions, we escape from examining our own decisions. We get support and also a place to hide when we make a mistake.

Perhaps the deeper question is not whether the crowd is right or wrong but why we find it so difficult to stand by our own understanding.

The nineteenth century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard raised this very problem in his essay The Crowd is untruth. His argument was not merely that the majority can be wrong.

He says that when the crowd is made the final judge of a question, the individual's own responsibility becomes weak.

For him ,the crowd didn't simply mean a lot of people gathering in one place. The problem arises when numbers begin to decide whether something is valid and a person hands over the responsibility for their own decision to the group.

Inside a crowd ,a person can do things they would hesitate to do if they had to take full responsibility alone.

Today, this same question comes up on social media. When thousands of people are sharing an idea,it is easy to go along with it.

But following popularity does not remove our need to examine our own decisions.

Before accepting any idea ,it is important to ask yourself, Am I believing this because I have tested it, or because standing with it gives me security, support, and acceptance?

If you had to take responsibility for your opinions alone,would you still believe what the crowd believes?