Issue 26.12
It is easy to surf the internet to find information about almost anything or anyone. The information is always accurate and up-to-date, or is it? This article is about how to sift the system – to figure out what is true, what you can trust and what is gossip, malicious lies or just plain lazy and uninformed writing.
If you want gossip, it is easy to find. Everyone on the internet has opinions and most of them have heard something somewhere that might be true and is sensational so lots of people will comment on it and believe it. It matters that everyone take a little extra time and effort to find what is verifiably true when we are looking for facts, figures and especially information about people. There is a new term called cyber-bullying which has to do with people (usually teenagers) posting things which are either untrue or nobody’s business about other young people with the express purpose of embarrassing them or insulting them. This has led to many tragedies including suicides or revenge postings that are just as bad or worse. There are adults that do the same thing to sabotage others or affect business deals.
The rule of thumb that I believe is important to follow is to verify everything with source material, not opinion. We are an opinion driven society. Even most of our news sources spout opinion as if it were fact and as a group, we are often too busy or too lazy to find out what is verifiably true. This is especially true of information about people. In that instance I recommend finding out from the people themselves, what they have said or written or asking them questions directly if they are available.
When it comes to information, current events, history, etc., opinion can be interesting, but usually facts are available if you take time to find them. Source material consists of things like things spoken or written by the people involved directly, comment from people who were there or knew the people involved directly and things like diary entries, personal letters, etc. These things are often available on-line, but rarely are they the first thing you find.
For example, if you want to know about Abraham Lincoln and his thoughts and decisions made about slavery, civil war and the destruction of the south, you can look him up in Wikipedia. As you read through you will get a lot of information about him and some quotes that illustrate what the writer thinks is true. You will also find that there are disagreements about his motivations and actions. If you follow the article to the end, you will see citations of many books, articles and other source materials. Some of these are also opinion, but some are actual things written or said by Lincoln and those closest to him.
Those who are willing to take the time to read these materials will have a much more complete and better understanding of who he was and what he thought. It is worth the time and effort. So next time you “google” a word or a name, remember the surface is not where the best information lies, and as always, remember to back up anything important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.