False Information on the Web

I was obviously aware that there is false information on the web, but I didn't realize that there were so many people doing it in subtle ways on purpose, and doing it in a way that shows that they are intentionally fooling web-surfers who visit their site.

I can understand the political reasons for creating counterfeit websites. If the government or organization is involved with something that a person doesn't agree with, then a good way to publicize the counter-information may be to create a similar site that readers could stumble upon accidently and as a result, discover a different side of the information; however, withholding the information that the site is not the official site does not seem like an ethical way to inform others in my opinion. These sites should be up front about their purpose to argue against the government or organization's program because that supports their argument that they are a trustworthy source. How can researchers consider the information valid on a website whose creators have lied about their own identity and initially portrayed themselves and their site to be something that it ultimately was not?

But, when the counterfeit websites are obviously giving false information it can be humorous. The other day I was searching for diets that could help me get into quick shape for the summer. I clicked on one of the first google results and found a diet and consisted of basically water and cardboard. Day four's meal plan does not even include a meal! On the last day the dieter is told to gorge him or herself only to return back to day one the following day. It made me laugh and brought me back to reality a little bit -- be healthy, not a yo-yo dieter.

As far as the false email information -- I thought everyone knew that. Maybe its because I grew up with email and the internet. The information included here seems like its more for the older generations who are learning how to use the internet later in life. Ever since I opened my first email account, there were always people telling me not to believe what I get in emails, and basically to ignore forwards, "warnings," and "charities," which I have been doing since day one and what I similarly do with forwarded text messages now.

I like that the author wrote, "Can we all say photoshop?" because it can get frustrating when so many people in America seem to believe everything they see, but in a world with technology like photoshop, we can't!!