“The World Wide Web is a
system of interlinked hypertext documents
that are accessed via the internet. With a web
browser
, one can view web pages that
may contain text, images, videos,
and other multimedia and navigate between them
via hyperlinks” (1)
There are several types of
webpages and sites that share information,
Such as blogs, news web sites
etc. “A blog is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting
of discrete entries” (2) Blogs are a very popular means of sharing Information. This
type of webpage is usually used by amateur writers who share several types of information
and content such as personal opinions, beliefs, views, pictures and videos. There
are also various types of website or news sites that share information about a variety
of subjects such as economy, politics, art, science etc.
In order to identify which
information on the web is valid we need to examine the source of the information the site is sharing. Most of
the times the sources are not mentioned due to the fact that people tend to
share opinions and ideas more than facts or
scientific data. Even in the case where scientific data is presented and the
writer mentions their source, we still need to
examine that source in order to be certain that we can trust the information
presented to us. For example, we can’t trust a news magazine as
easily as we can, a scientific research center.
There can be several reasons
for sharing invalid information. Usually the motive behind it is financial
gain, such as from selling a product, increasing a
website’s traffic to gain more from advertisements or even to attract followers
by sharing false information about movements, ideas, ideologies
or religions. Firstly, when it comes to selling a product, advertisements and
reviews are very critical, therefore the information
that is shared about a product is sometimes controlled by the producers. for
example, milk producers funding scientific researches to prove that milk has many
health benefits. Secondly, increasing a websites traffic can come easily by
sharing false or invalid information that might contain a few real facts. Usually the
facts are exaggerated or presented in such a way that a simple detail sounds
very important and critical. Thirdly, sharing information to attract followers, is very
common and it also often includes exaggerated facts and invalid data in order to
impress and capture the readers.
Identifying valid information
and facts on the web can be difficult. However by having a few things in mind
while reading and receiving these information can help
significantly with this matter. Always remember to check the sources of the
information- be aware of the kind of text that you are reading (diary, opinion essay, news, academic
paper etc)-, consider the motives behind sharing said information and data and
finally have a critical mind and don’t accept any information passively without
consideration and assessment.
Note:
This essay is an example of
sharing information that contain valid and reasonable points that are however
used in such a way that is favorable to the writer's opinion
about this particular
subject.
(1) Wikipedia “World Wide Web”
(2) Wikipedia “Blog”
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