Internet and information
 

 

The Internet (World Wide Web) and people’s opportunity to find – and the problem posed as a result of finding – information through it, for instance, is the information credible, accurate, and well-founded?

A leading source of reliable and (intellectually) valuable information is from peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, and commentaries and discussions by experts about the research findings published.

 

A major advantage for the general reader is that the information produced as an end-result has been subjected to an editorial filtering process which is likely to reject flawed research and faulty conclusions but allows admittance to research meeting a certain standard.

 

The internet offers the welcome opportunity for pretty much anyone to publish almost anything at minimal or no cost, however, this great “people’s plenary” places an increased burden on those availing of this explosion of information – presuming that it is important to us to obtain sound, relevant, meaningful, and accurate material in contrast to information of a doubtful or uncertain character, which might easily turn out to be unsound, extraneous, trivial, or false.

 

So this burden is for the information-consumer to review and evaluate whatever selections he or she makes from this ever-growing body of claims and ideas.

 

It should be noted that there has long been avenues through which processes of editorial review have been side-stepped, though it has only been relatively recently – prior to the emergence of the internet – that anyone other than the wealthy has had a real opportunity to self-publish (the ‘vanity press’).

 

So be aware of this shifting of the burden of evaluation each time one browses the world wide web.

 

The following questions for this task may be borne in mind:

 

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Is the information on a commercial site†, with potential conflicts likely to compromise the reliability of the information posted?

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What is the purpose of the page or site: is this expressly disclosed or discussed on the site, for example, in a “mission statement” or similar, and should those declarations be believed? Why was the site created? To inform and explain? To present basic facts or data? To persuade us about some claim or ‘theory’, to promote or sell products and services or some scheme? Or is the content a rant, a ‘tease’, or piece of satire or the like?

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What is the quality and integrity of the information found on the page or site? Does the content appear to be trustworthy? Indeed, is it valuable to us or an important point that the material accessed should be credible, dependable, or correct? Are there exaggerated or overblown claims and arguments presented as somehow “reasonable”?

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Is the ‘poster’ accountable for the material on the website, is contact information available to challenge what has been posted and provide feedback, and are any such queries acknowledged?

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Is the information up-to-date, are conclusions posted based upon (potentially) outdated information?

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Is the information well-documented with specific checkable references displayed?

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Does the source acknowledge any genuine controversy about the issue(s) discussed in the post(s), for example, giving some attention and consideration to leading (credible) alternative interpretations?

 

and

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Does the site accessed refer to other, respectable, sources?

 

It is recommended that this current site should be subjected to these same questions.

 

(see also: internet sources)

 

 

e-mail: belief_judgement_clear_thinking@yahoo.com

 

†also sites of foundations and the like set-up and funded by industry groups, consortiums, or corporations promoting ideas or 'causes' in which these commercials 'players' hold a strong self-interest – and especially sites of this kind where the involvement of such interested parties is not immediately made clear.

 

 
   

 

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