Internet Usage: Knowledge and Accuracy

In December of 1995 only 0.4% of the world’s population had access to the Internet. As of June of 2011 a staggering 30.4% of the world’s population had access to the Internet. The Internet has brought information literally to the touch of our fingers forever changing the way we access information. Gone are the ways of sitting hours on end in libraries searching through microfiche and struggling to understand the Dewey Decimal System. We now have the capability to type a single word and get thousands upon thousands of results saving students countless hours of study time. What are the strengths and weaknesses? With access to more information how to do prove the validity and accuracy of the immense amount information?
“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” Mitch Kapor, variation of a quote by Jerome Wiesner
With the changes in society our lives have all become busier. Having the use of the Internet drastically cuts down the time needed to fully research a project. We now have the ability to sit down in the comfort of our own home and glean as much information we need from the World Wide Web. This allows more individuals to fully realize their dreams of continuing their education while still managing their families and jobs. We have the ability to review, side by side, information from multiple sources. This allows us to better understand what we are researching by seeing what each side involved has to say. We then can formulate our own opinion and unique view point with that information. The strengths of the Internet are limitless; it is how we choose to use the Internet that determines its overall worth.
Due to the changes in society and the need for speed we are also tempted to cut corners where and when we can. This can also translate to utilizing the Internet to cut those corners while doing research projects. Instead of properly pulling information from multiple sources and proving the validity of