In class we recently read a chapter on the information quality of internet resources, in Born Digital. Although I chose quality as one of my inquiry areas for my english class, I had not done much research on what it was about. It was intersting to read about how accurate information may or may not be online especially with sources as regognized as Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is a popular source for any student, elementary to college, or any adult that may want to reseach a topic for work or home. It is trusted by most people and I know I trust Wikipedia to give me accurate information on anything I need to know. But when reading Quality, a chapter in Born Digital, it came to my surprise that you can not be certain that everything on Wikipedia is of the highest quality. People from anywhere in the world are allowed to either give the correct information to their best knowledge, or take advantage and post made up stories about important people or events. After reading stories where incorrect information was posted in Wikipedia, I am more aware and will be more cautious when using information from Wikipedia. In addition to knowing that this well known source can be tampered with, it makes me apprehensive of other online sources that are not as known.
I was someone who did not realize the severity of information quality online and I think there are many more who are the same. Many people do not think about the accuracy of sites and just use certain resources because of the convenience. But maybe next time when you are looking for sources to use in a college paper or project, or whatever you are using the internet for, just consider the quality of the information and whether or not it is accurate. Maybe compare it to other sites, do not just except the information because it is from a well known site or because it is the first link that popped up on google.
You provide good suggestions for judging information quality online. One additional question which you can always ask is "Who benefits?" In other words, "Who benefits from the information being represented in this way?" Is it a commercial entity, a particular religious affiliation, or a distinct group within society? You might be surprised by what you find out.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this post because I remember for one of my high school classes is when I had first experienced that the quality of information on the internet isn't always the most reliable information. I had turned in an assignment using Wikipedia as my source and my teacher taught me that Wikipedia is such an unreliable source and to never use it again. I have stuck to her advice ever since and to this day have not used Wikipedia for any of my research papers or any projects at all.
ReplyDeleteI am aware that people can go onto wikipedia and add what their input, but i still use this often to learn or gain information. The things that people post on wikipedia are, although not 100%, are mostly accurate. I know that people review the postings and delete things that have been added that are blatantly false. When I use it for something I have no basis of knowledge on, I may use an alternate source as well, but I do not discount wikipedia.
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