The Internet as an Information-base

[Sharjeel]

Nowadays it is getting very easy for people to just log onto the 'net and get information on any topic. While at first glance, it may seem to be very convenient, it does have it's disadvantages:



1. Generally, no validation/verificitaion is possible for the info we find on the 'net.



2. It is very easy to misguide people with false news/reports.



3. While knowledge is present on the internet in vast quantities, it is not always complete or sometimes many important parts are missing. Many people use the internet as a do-it-yourself guide and they are misguided by the incomplete and unverified knowledge.



4. Many people use the Internet to download information, and then they think of themselves as expert on that subject, and misguide other people with their advice.



5. The vast amount of knowledge available at lightning quick speeds has proved unfair to the people who have had to work very hard in the field to 'earn' the information.

[Sharjeel]

Your comments please. (<-- forgot to type this!)

[akhilis2cool]

Well u make a very good point there abt. verification of information. I believe its imp. for the people to have some info. abt the site from wwhich they r downloading the information. Since the internet is a free entry free exit market there will b people who will make use of it for the wrong purposes.



Internet facilitates us to reach the sources of information. But it is upto the individual to make sure the source is proper. prefferably he/she shld. take data on one topic from more than 2-3 websites.

[~akidna~]

Your point about information being incomplete and misguiding is true. People who are searching for some information should always verify and double check it. But I guess nowadays people just don’t have the patience to do that. Leave verifying a lot of people as soon as they find something resembling the topic they are searching for they assume it to be true and don’t even read the entire thing.



Myself included .But when im am doing a presentation or a project i make sure that the information i find online is true.

[Reality,,its here.Accept it.]

Well I agree with most points 'sherry' makes.

But I think it would be better to use the internet as "source base" than as an complete information base. You can search the web, find the sources and then look them up in the nearest library.( I guess thats possible only overseas.)

The veracity of the information can be checked atleast a little by reading through the references it has and sticking with reputed web sites instead of taking information from where ever possible.

for example, for news related information you can stick with BBC..for science and technology you have relavent journals which have a reputation for being accurate.

The onus of verification lies on the person searching for the information than on the site providing it in this age of information sourcing from the web.

[Sharjeel]

But I think it would be better to use the internet as "source base" than as an complete information base

That is a very good idea. But again, it will depend upon whether you can find the book which is mentioned on the website.

[CtrlAltDel]

i've solved the problem by using the net mainly for entertainment.......DBs, chat, online newspapers, email etc....i havent done any serious research on the net....not yet anyway...

[Reality,,its here.Accept it.]

i've solved the problem by using the net mainly for entertainment.......DBs, chat, online newspapers, email etc....i havent done any serious research on the net....not yet anyway...

>CAD,I get a feeling that you deliberately left out P***, thats the most accessed resource on the web.

[CtrlAltDel]

i've solved the problem by using the net mainly for entertainment.......DBs, chat, online newspapers, email etc....i havent done any serious research on the net....not yet anyway...

>CAD,I get a feeling that you deliberately left out P***, thats the most accessed resource on the web.

:shock:



my baaaad! how did i leave that source of the best online entertainment......

[Sharjeel]

:oops: my baaaad! how did i leave that source of the best online entertainment......

tell me about it! There was one time when we decided to block porn sites in our cafe, and it almost shut down! now porn sites are not as 'hot' (popular) as about 2 years, but it still is it's most important use (after chat).

[CtrlAltDel]

:oops: my baaaad! how did i leave that source of the best online entertainment......

tell me about it! There was one time when we decided to block porn sites in our cafe, and it almost shut down! now porn sites are not as 'hot' (popular) as about 2 years, but it still is it's most important use (after chat).

i think porn shud be legalised. most ppl harmlessly view porn anyway, so why not collect a tax? atleast the cops need not be bribed regularly.

[Mayavi Morpheus]

Nowadays it is getting very easy for people to just log onto the 'net and get information on any topic. While at first glance, it may seem to be very convenient, it does have it's disadvantages:

1. Generally, no validation/verificitaion is possible for the info we find on the 'net.

2. It is very easy to misguide people with false news/reports.

This is true. One shld know how to seperate wheat from the chaff. Internet is grossly misused by many people to spread their propaganda and their versions of truth to misguide people.
For ex, the other day I was reading an islamic website and found it very interesting as far as info about islam is concerned, but it also talks about other religions - Hinduism, Jews and christianity - and I was apalled to read how it twisted the facts about hinduism and misinterpreted it. If I didnt know about hinduism, I would have believed every word it said abt hinduism.
Same goes with Islam on a Hindu website. I forgot its name but it twisted every fact about koran and misinterpreted it to show muslims in bad light. Again, a Hindu with zero knowledge of koran will buy into it hook, line and sinker.
This is where internet does most of the damage by spreading false information.

4. Many people use the Internet to download information, and then they think of themselves as expert on that subject, and misguide other people with their advice.

It has its uses too I met this guy on chat who's a staunch supporter of naxalism and communist policies. I argued with him several times and finally yesterday I managed to convince him that free markets are better and naxalism and communism are not the solutions. I have never read any book on free markets, jsut watched some documentary a few days back and read news reports of globalization, its only half knowledge but I acted like I am a fullto economist . It served the purpose cos the other guy is not the well read.

5. The vast amount of knowledge available at lightning quick speeds has proved unfair to the people who have had to work very hard in the field to 'earn' the information.

That is an advantage and not disadvantage. One should always share knowledge. By spreading knowledge, you also gain knowledge. Your hard work is not wasted.

[mark]

your points are good Sherry. People definately need to be educated on the strengths and weaknesses of the net. As with any other medium, it is subject to misuse.

The total lack of central control is the nets main strength, and weakness. There is no other medium where people can express their views with so little censorship (this lead to great things, like subversion of totalitarian regimes, and terrible things, like the global coordination of terrorist groups (haha which is which depends on your point of view i suppose))

.

When doing any research (unless it's based entirely on self-verifiable information) there comes a point where you must place your trust in an external entity, which it will probably not be possible to entirely verify. The may be a government, in the case of census details, etc, or a private company such as a publishing house, or an individual, in the case of research papers, etc. Just as an individual on the net can falsify information, so too can each of the entities mentioned above. The difference is, on the net it's much easier to cross check (IMO)



I think the old phrase about knowledge being power is changing with the internet, as you mentioned Sherry any fool can sound knowledgeable about pretty much any subject overnight, however it is the application of knowledge which is power, rather than the knowledge itsself.

No matter how many sites there are on DIY brain surgery, i doubt brain surgeons are quaking in their boots just yet

[Sharjeel]

Just as an individual on the net can falsify information, so too can each of the entities mentioned above. The difference is, on the net it's much easier to cross check (IMO)

Point taken. but the people who write books, and reports, can be traced and therefore, they are generally wary abut misreporting things, while a netter can easily get away with any lie, as MM notes.

I think the old phrase about knowledge being power is changing with the internet, as you mentioned Sherry any fool can sound knowledgeable about pretty much any subject overnight, however it is the application of knowledge which is power, rather than the knowledge itsself.

It is nutting when (say) a friend talks about bikes in India and their relative advantages and disadvantages (after reading an article on the net), and he seems very knowledgeable. Me is sitting nearby quietly trying to hold myself from grabbing him by his throat and asking him b$#$*, how long you been driving bikes? The internet has created an abundance of fools with theoritical knowledge about almost anything. They cannot apply that knowledge, but does it stop them from trying (and putting themselves in danger)?

No matter how many sites there are on DIY brain surgery, i doubt brain surgeons are quaking in their boots just yet

Yes, but some fools will use the karate move they found on the net and spend the rest of their lives trying to get the shoes out of their butt.

Internet is grossly misused by many people to spread their propaganda and their versions of truth to misguide people.

One of the most horrible forms of mis-use of the net, in my 'e'pinion.

I have never read any book on free markets, jsut watched some documentary a few days back and read news reports of globalization, its only half knowledge but I acted like I am a fullto economist

You were discussing about something in which theoritical knowledge is as important as practical knowledge. And, maybe you won because you had some very good points and he had none.

i think porn shud be legalised. most ppl harmlessly view porn anyway, so why not collect a tax? atleast the cops need not be bribed regularly.

The tax-wallas would then become the richest people in the universe !

[mark]

I think the old phrase about knowledge being power is changing with the internet, as you mentioned Sherry any fool can sound knowledgeable about pretty much any subject overnight, however it is the application of knowledge which is power, rather than the knowledge itsself.

It is nutting when (say) a friend talks about bikes in India and their relative advantages and disadvantages (after reading an article on the net), and he seems very knowledgeable. Me is sitting nearby quietly trying to hold myself from grabbing him by his throat and asking him b$#$*, how long you been driving bikes? The internet has created an abundance of fools with theoritical knowledge about almost anything. They cannot apply that knowledge, but does it stop them from trying (and putting themselves in danger)?

Fools will always find a way of putting themselves in danger, they've been doing it before the internet, and they'll be doing it after it all falls down.

I see your point though.