The Internet has become a popular source for retrieving information on practically any subject. This information can generally be retrieved in a matter of seconds. With the popularity of the internet as a research tool it’s important that the information received is reliable and accurate. In general, when one uses a search engine to perform a search on the internet, the quantity of information returned is astronomical. “In a world of information overload, it is often extremely difficult to get a grip on the correctness, completeness and the legitimacy of the information and material available in the internet.” (Prins).
If the user does not thoroughly research the information they receive from certain web sites they could receive misleading and invalid information. It is extremely important that the information received is reliable and accurate. For example, someone could be researching a medical condition on the internet and they believe that all the information they have received is true. The pickup on a site that recommends a treatment regiment that promises to eliminate the problem. They realize that their systems have worsened and the recommended treatment is not working. This incorrect information that the user received from the internet can be devastating for the user or even led to death.
Anyone can post anything on the internet. “Unlike most traditional information media (books, magazines, organizational documents), no one has to approve the contents before is made public.” (Prins). Everyone who uses the internet need to be mindful, that because the information is on the web, doesn’t make it true. Many of us forget this fact because at one time most things that were in print were true. But today as it relates to the internet that is not a true statement.
All the information that is retrieved should be verified for its accuracy. To verify the information retrieved is valid there are a few things the user can do. The user should verify the author. Here are a few ideas to verify the author and check objectivity; is the author knowledgeable; is the credentials and organizational affiliations listed; has the author written other material relating to the subject; is the author stating a fact or is it their opinion; is the information one sided or is more than one view point shared; is the information trying to sway the reader; is the information based on fact.
The internet is a hub of information. It is easy to access this information and resources by simple looking up a simple topic. How much of this information is actually true? In The New Yorker article “The Things People Say” author Elizabeth Kolbert explains the dangers of believing wholeheartedly the information given to us online. She uses logos to prove that the internet can be biased with information through “group polarization” and a site’s inability to upload contradictory information. She fails however with ethos in her paper because she is hypocritical.
Now with the introduction of the internet it is becoming increasingly difficult to control the publication of personal and private information. Any information that is collected should not be used for any other purpose except for what it was originally accepted.
The Internet distributes more information than any other medium in the world. There are several problems that have emerged along with the Internet, “As soon as the public began to use the Internet, people began to express concern about its use” (Clark 1). Some groups feel that the World Wide Web is dangerous because of it’s open accessibility, whereas other groups see that the Internet is something that can be used to share knowledge globally. The Internet should not be censored because censorship would restrict Americans’ first amendment rights; regulations have been tried and have failed in the past, and there are better methods of education and protection than censorship.
There are five different criteria that should always be met when it comes to evaluating a website. These criteria’s include accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage (“Criteria Used in Evaluating Web Resources”, 2014). Accuracy is deciphering who is hosting the website, if the website has stated the purpose and audience, and if the information on the site is reliable. A good way to check if the information can be trusted is to compare the facts found on the website with other information and facts found from other internet or print sources. Authority is verifying that the author of the website is real, because if the author is real then the information can usually be trusted as well (“Criteria Used in Evaluating Web Resources”, 2014). To check the authority of a site, the page should be examined for information about the author, note if anyone else has contributed to the website, check for contact information, and see if the author has created other websites with factual information. It is a good sign if there is contact information for the author, because it means someone is taking credit for the information on the page (“Criteria Used in Evaluating Web Resources”, 2014). If someone is taking credit, there is a better chance that the information can be trusted because the author would not want a bad reputation and to be held accountable for sharing false information. The objectivity of a website is deciding if the website is trying to sway the reader’s opinion, and if it is biased. If the advertisements on the site are being supplied by the author of the site, then there is a good chance the page is biased. There should be no bias or opinion located on a site that is supposed to supply factual information (“Criter...
Metzger, M. J. (2010). Making sense of credibility on the web: Models for evaluating online information and recommendations for future research. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(13), 2078-2091. doi:10.1002/asi.20672
The steps taken to search for information that already exists about the topic include using scholarly search engines to gather a se...
In today’s fast paced technology, search engines have become vastly popular use for people’s daily routines. A search engine is an information retrieval system that allows someone to search the...
Now that we are living in an ever changing world, technology is viewed as the most resourceful tool in keeping up with the pace. Without the use of technology, communication would be limited to using mail for delivery and encyclopedias for research. Although technology has improved the way we communicate and find information for research, the information is not always valid. Unfortunately, for those of us who use the internet for shopping, research, or reading articles of personal interest the information is not treated the same as a your magazine or book. While such literature is reviewed by an editorial staff, internet literature or information can be published by anyone. In order to reap the full benefit of having the use of technology for any purpose, there are five basic criteria’s one must keep in mind as an evaluating tool for deciding whether or not the particular website is a reliable source for information.
There has been a surprising change in society, which computer engineering has brought about . The Internet in particular is changing every activity of our daily lives. Today just about every advertisement on television, radio and in print carries a web address. It is not unusual for consumers to research a purchase on the Internet before buying. Websites offer thousands of pages of detailed information. Chat rooms and news groups attract many people with opinions t...
The Internet provides a gateway for an individual to speak freely and anonymously without being targeted to what he or she said. With this said, one of the biggest issues concerning the Internet today is freedom of speech. The issue of free speech on the Internet has been a topic of discussion around the world within the past years. It is a unique communication medium and is powerful than the traditional media[2]. Because the Internet can not be compared equally to other mediums of communication, it deserves the utmost freedom of speech protection from the government. The restriction of speech on the Internet takes away from individual's rights and freedom from experiencing the Internet's benefits and uses. Information found on the Internet is endless and boundless and this poses the question, "should the government be allowed to regulate the information and content being transmitted or posted online?"
Today, our society has access to mankind’s collective knowledge with the internet. Constantly updated, the internet keeps everyone in the loop. If there is a traffic jam, Google Maps will notify you. If there is a new movie release, Fandango will ask to reserve tickets for you. If there is a limited-time sale, Amazon will email you. Information constantly bombards us. The internet moves fast, and we must try to keep up to stay in
The Internet has created a generation of the most efficient multi-taskers ever born. Many people will have at least four tabs open as a time (Google, Facebook, Youtube, Pandora, Wikipedia, Gmail, etc.). People are constantly jumping from one web page to the next, clicking on links and opening new tabs and browsers. The method through which knowledge is gained has transitioned from deep reading to fast skimming. Every time a web page is opened the viewer is bombarded with information, almost every page has advertisements or links to additional information lining its sides. The Internet has made mountains of information available to almost anyone. It is fast and easy to find information and facts. Essentially the Internet has become the fast food of knowledge. It is convenient but it skips the element of effort.
Since the Internet burst free of academic cloisters into the public domain during 1990s, it has been thoroughly debated whether the individual’s remarks and comments on the Internet should be restricted. Also this has drawn increasing attention due to popularity of the emerging social net like Facebook and Twitter in recent years. While some advocate that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, others argue that an uncontrollable medium of anarchy may occur owing to the freedom of speech. This paper examines both the arguments for and against of the freedom speech in Internet and provides suggestions based on these arguments.
The objective of this essay is to compare Internet research with other sources of information which include books, word of mouth and primary research. This paper will also look at ways of ascertaining the validity of research information for academic work.
The Internet has made access to information easier. Information is stored efficiently and organized on the Internet. For example, instead of going to our local library, we can use Internet search engines. Simply by doing a search, we get thousands of results. The search engines use a ranking system to help us retrieve the most pertinent results in top order. Just a simple click and we have our information. Therefore, we can learn about anything, immediately. In a matter of moments, we can become an expert.