How much information on the Internet is reasonably accurate?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the accuracy of information available on the Internet, exploring the extent to which users perceive this information as reliable. Participants consider various contexts, including scientific, philosophical, and legal perspectives, while reflecting on personal judgments regarding the credibility of online content.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that less than 5% of online information is accurate, citing the prevalence of unreliable content across numerous websites.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about the percentage of accurate information, noting the difficulty in assessing the vast amount of content and the varying definitions of accuracy.
  • A participant highlights that personal blogs may reflect accurate opinions but could be based on inaccuracies, complicating the assessment of their reliability.
  • Concerns are raised about the declining quality of reporting from established news sources, with a participant questioning the reliability of outlets like AP and Reuters.
  • One participant mentions criteria for evaluating credible sources, emphasizing the importance of domain types (.edu, .org, .gov), author attribution, update history, and the presence of citations, while expressing skepticism towards .com websites.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the percentage of accurate information available online, with multiple competing views on what constitutes accuracy and credibility.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying definitions of accuracy and criteria for evaluating information, indicating that personal judgment plays a significant role in their assessments. There is also mention of a potential decline in journalistic standards, which may affect perceptions of reliability.

How much information on the Internet is reasonably accurate?

  • <5%

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • 5% to 10%

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • 10% to 20%

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • 20% to 30%

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 30% to 50%

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • 50% to 70%

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 70% to 90%

    Votes: 1 7.7%
  • >90%

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The percentage is indeterminable

    Votes: 4 30.8%

  • Total voters
    13
Loren Booda
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How much information on the Internet is reasonably accurate?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Resonably?
 
"Reasonably" in a scientific, philosophical or legal sense. Use your own judgment.
 
I had to vote for less than 5% because of the sheer number of websites and places where people can post garbage on the internet. I would say the valid websites are scarce in comparison.
 
I voted that the percentage is indeterminable. I really have no idea, there's a lot of junk on the internet, and I certainly haven't explored it all and researched it all to find out how much is accurate. Plus, it depends on what you mean by accurate. Someone's blog site that just tells their thoughts in diary form is accurate in that it reflects their opinions, but their opinions may be based on inaccuracies, so I don't know how that gets scored. But there are days when I'm not even sure if the AP and Reuters news sites can be considered reasonably accurate. There seems to be growing laziness in reporting, with a real lack of good investigative reporting and first person accounting of events, so we just get the condensed version put out in the press release package.
 
If a source doesn't come from a website ending in a .edu, .org, .gov, or from a data base like lexus nexus etc. I usually take the information on the site with a grain of salt. I remember from my English college classes that there are standards that you should use when determining whether a website has credible information or not. The website should always list the author and when the last time it was updated. If any grammatical or spelling mistakes are made then the webpage should be disregarded immediately. Citations should also be made. I usually never look for information on .com websites.
 

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