Navigating the WEB

 

Every time I go shopping with my mom, she always checks the quality of material, the brand of the product, and look for any defects to ensure that what we buy is of high quality. She doesn't care if it took her a few minutes as long as she is sure that the product we are going to purchase is of high quality. She has a specific criterion in selecting what product are worthy to purchase. This habit of her somewhat grew on me, I’ve also started doing the same thing to ensure I purchase a high-quality product.

Not everything posted online is true or factual. Some are just made-up stories which everyone tends to believe, which is sad. In today’s digital world, the internet is flooded with millions of information that you could think of. However, most of them are fake and are just made-up stories. Just as I’ve learned to carefully select things when shopping, I’ve also learned to navigate the internet with a critical eye to ensure that the information that I am reading is accurate.

I.                    Look for Credible Sources

        I used to believe that Wikipedia is a great source of information. Later, I find out that it can be edited by anyone who can access the site. I realize that how it can be so easy to be misled by a reliable source. If I could compare looking for a credible source with something I do in my mundane activities, it would be a shopping trip with my mom where we make sure to check the information provided on the packaging and brand of the product before purchasing it. I always make sure that the site I’m getting information with is a credible source such as those ending with .edu, .gov., .org, or established news outlets.

II.                  Check for errors

                I remember one time where my friend accessed a site containing information that is full of grammatical errors and inconsistencies. This reminded me on how my mom check the defects on the clothes that she purchases. Just how my mom pointed out that there is a defect in the dress, I pointed out to my friend the errors and suggested to find a more reliable source. Since then, it became a habit to check for the errors of the content to make sure that I am accessing a reliable information.

III.                Cross checking the information

        It took me a lot of time to finish looking for the information for the WebQuest because I cross checked it with multiple sites. Before accepting the information, I cross checked it with multiple reputable sites. Just like how my mom compare the different products to ensure that she purchase what is the best. I make use of multiple reliable sources stating the same thing before trusting the information.

 

In this new world where there is a lot of deceiving information being presented on us, it is crucial to develop a critical eye to distinguish what is factual or not. Just like how shopping with my mother taught me to value quality above convenience, I've learned to approach internet material with the same care and scrutiny.