Going with the theme of this weeks readings I decided to find sources about Internet Addiction. I opened up my ever handy Google home page and typed in the phrase “internet addiction.” From this list, as I normally do, I looked at the description of the site and the actual web address. I am more than a little weary of clicking on just any web page. First, I chose Wikipedia. I often consult Wikipedia, as I think many of us do for quick information. In general I find that their information is pretty accurate but since anyone can edit a Wikipedia definition I like to refer to the sited sources at the bottom as well as see who actually wrote the article. You can do this by looking at the page history, and see all the times it has been edited and by who and what they did. Next I chose a site that I might not actually use myself, but I can see many people using it just for its name “internetaddiction.com.” Upon looking over this site I became very skeptical of it because it was a “12 step program” for internet addiction AND it seemed to charge for it’s services. Last time I checked, AA programs were free. This put up some red flags for me and I would not trust the information from this site because it seems like a web scam praying on those that feel they have an addiction. (This would be one of those sites Wood and Smith would say to look out for when searching for internet therapy, I’m sure.) For my last source I added another word to my Google search, “research.” This lead me to an article on www.apa.org . I would definitely trust this site because it is posted by the APA, a well known and reputable name in Psychology. Also, and this is something I learned in high school, anyone can have a “.com” site but not just anyone can have a “.org”, “.edu”, or “.gov” site. Any web address that ends in these is most likely( I am scared to say definitely) a reputable site. You also always want to check who wrote and article and what their affiliations are. Like if you read an article about how milk will solve all your health issues and then you see that it was written by the CEO of Dairy World. You would have to assume that they have some anterior motives rather than just presenting the facts. I think it is incredible important to evaluate your sources because one should be careful and thoughtful about what they repeat, especially in an academic context. If I were a professor, I would definitely look at the sources my students used critically. I would use the same techniques that I employed above, but also I would probably be more impressed if the student actually consulted texts rather than the internet. I am guilty, myself, of often just using internet sources, but I feel that texts are much more reliable and show initiative on the students’ behalf.
In the chapter in Wood and Smith’s book this week they talked about the good and the bad in turning to the internet. I’ve always been skeptical of what I find online but it was interesting to see how many people just suck up what they find online instead of questioning its credibility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder
http://www.internetaddiction.com/
http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr00/addiction.html
February 10, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Your comment about .edu and .org sites was one that I failed to make in my blog. Yes these are good elements to look at, but as you point out, can’t say for sure that they 100% reputable. I think one of the most important things to consider when evaluating credibility it to determine their source of funding. A lot of times you may find vested interest may well skew the information. This is evident even in academic journals, you have to be wary of the funding that went into gathering the producing the information…
February 12, 2009 at 12:14 am
You made a good point about double-checking source’s authenticity and identity. Information on the internet can look reliable, but sometimes there’s hidden motives or false fronts. I work in marketing–I know.
February 13, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Hi Kimberly,
Daniel’s response about being wary of a source’s funding, and the point you brought up of ulterior motives (CEO of Dairy World) are definitely issues you need to evaluate when researching. There is always some bias in every bit of information produced, but I suppose it’s the researchers task to find the most objective sources.
-Casey
February 13, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Kimberly, I enjoyed reading your blog this week. I think you pointed out some great ways to check for credibility when dealing with information of the web. I agree that it is really important to always screen the information you decide to take in. The Internet is filled with a lot of junk and I think many people just don’t seem to care where information comes from.