On the Internet, skepticism is your friend

By Rick Rouse
Rick's Daily TIps

Begin soapbox speech…
The Internet is truly one of the most fascinating (and most useful) inventions in the history of the world.

A research project that in times past would have required a time-consuming visit to a library can now be completed in a manner of minutes, if not seconds – right from your favorite easy chair.

But there’s a problem with all the info that’s currently available on the Internet: much of it is either incomplete, misleading or even downright false.

As you surely know, the Internet is the greatest of equalizers. Anyone possessing a computer or smartphone can upload any information they want to the web and make it available for the entire world to see. And unfortunately much that info tends to be low-quality garbage that could well be dangerous to the reader.

That’s why it’s very important to always take steps to verify everything you read online with at least a couple of other trusted sources.

And when I say “trusted” sources, I don’t mean two additional sources that only (and always) publish things you agree with.

I say that because it’s extremely easy to get caught up in a “bubble” in which the only sites we visit are the ones that match our own world view. While it’s fine to hang out online with people of like minds, always remember this…

If you’re caught up in a bubble everything you read or watch while you’re in that bubble will likely be shaded with the same type of slant. And if that slant happens to be wrong or misleading you can rest assured that most everything you read will be wrong or misleading.

My recommendation is to make it a point to venture out of your bubble on occasion. See what “the other side” is saying about a topic that’s in the news or whatever is on your mind at the time.

I’ll admit that I sometimes fall victim to this bubble effect myself. I believe we all do because it’s simple human nature.

Now, I’ll just finish with this…
Take everything you read or watch on the Internet (and on broadcast media for that matter) with a grain of salt. Treat everything with a healthy dose of skepticism until you’ve had a chance to verify it by checking other reliable sources.

When I say everything, I do mean everything. And yes, that includes the info I provide on my own blogs and in my newsletter.

After all, as hard as I try to provide accurate information, I’m human and I do make my mistakes at times. When you see that I’ve made one I’ll greatly appreciate it if you’ll hit the “Reply” button and tell me about it so I can set the record straight.
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That’s it – I’m all out of soap for now. Thanks for listening…
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