I thought the same way until I worked with lots of types of people. The vast majority seem to much prefer BS, even blatant BS to honesty that is even the least bit blunt. I think part of it is that since everyone exaggerates, actual blunt truths are assumed to also be a positive spin, which would put their reality in the toilet.
I wouldn't call them idiots. They just are not as exposed to the concept of online privacy as a lot of us are.
We might be on the other side of table in many other ways, or idiots as you put it. Like the way my doctor friends avoid some OTC drugs that I never even think twice before taking, or some food, or some ready made edibles. I have a friend in textile industry and when he buys clothes it's a whole new level and makes me wonder what the hell I have been wearing so far. It amazes me how he sees through all those "Giza cotton" tag-lines and gimmick features of breathability and what not that are usually followed by a (™).
Can we all not learn everything from The Internet? No, we can't and it does not make any of us an idiot.