The internet provides users with unlimited access to all currently published information. This is truly an information democracy where consumers can educate themselves. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet however, and you have to intelligently identify what is factual. This article offers helpful advice and some insights for conducting your own research on the internet.
The internet is the great equalizer when it comes to access to information. Everyone can be the master of their own destiny when it comes to getting answers to their questions. Getting accurate information to the real questions you want answered, however, requires patience and practice. So, the quality of your answer is directly related to the quality of your question. The internet has provided all users with unlimited access to all currently published information. This is truly an information democracy where consumers can educate themselves. It is the equivalent of having your town’s library, your university library, the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, all medical info like WebMD and scientific journals available at your fingertips. WoW!!
Another benefit of the internet is that it has provided a forum for anybody to publish to the masses. Some of this information is fact, some is fiction, some is opinion and some is outright inaccurate and false. Look at all the group blogs, general info sites, self-help, etc. But like many things in life, there is a paradox here. The internet is publishing freedom to the extreme. There are no regulations or limitations on what is posted. That is why you have child exploitation, sexual enhancement products galore, porno and political radicalism sites expounding their hateful beliefs or showing people step-by-step how to do something like build a bomb.
So, when someone sets out “to do research” on the internet they have to understand that they will have to sift through a lot of garbage and misinformation. Just because certain statements or “facts” are found on the internet does not make them accurate. You need to separate the facts from fiction, or someone’s opinion. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet and you have to intelligently identify the factual information. If you don’t believe this, here’s a simple test. Do a search on something that you are very familiar with, or expert at, and search the internet for information. Search your own name. Do a search on your favorite politician, religious belief or celebrity and add “,good” to the search words and then use the exact same search terms with the adder “,bad” and see what you come up with. Not just on the first or second page, but several pages into the results. You’ll also find a lot of results that have absolutely nothing to do with what you are looking for. Here is another test. Have you ever been quoted in an interview or read a newspaper account of something you, yourself witnessed and said “that’s not what I said or saw or heard”?
Combine this with the fact that many people say that they are researching something when they really already have their mind made up. That’s not research, it’s justification of a preconceived belief. You can find anything you want on the internet. So be honest with yourself. Are you really doing unbiased research or justifying something. If you look hard enough you can usually find what you are really looking for.
If you are doing unbiased “research” , here are some helpful suggestions:
• Use your favorite search engine; “Google” isn’t the only one out there, just the largest.
• Determine that you are looking for accurate information, that what you heard from someone else may not be correct. Don’t start with the answer in mind.
• Use the right terms for your search. Remember “garbage IN, garbage OUT”. Search engines are programs that have to be told specifically what you are looking for. You have to evaluate the results.
• Is information really fact or opinion? Check carefully. “Search” the source.
• Realize many people have a “victim” mentality or an ax-to-grind; they are just “getting even”. These individuals have no credentials or expertiseThe internet provides them with a venue to “vent” and in many cases they were a contributing factor to a perceived “problem”. Check sites of a product or service provider for balanced viewpoint.
• Make sure you really know who the source is; not just an anonymous blog with name like “Fred” or a submitter like “Burned in Hackensack” or “these guys are crooks”. Look for legitimate contact information, bio and qualifications of source.
• Make sure you are looking at current info; your info source should give you idea of date of submittal or a time stamp
• Form your own opinion
• If you are purchasing a product or service make sure that it is appropriate for job to be done. Request a “risk-free trial” of a product or service, to determine for yourself whether it works for you and your circumstances. This is really not a “one size fits all” world. Buy the right tool.
Hope this helps. Happy searching. Comments and suggestions are welcome and can be directed to the author at BCBAssociates@bellsouth.net.
