There is so much information at our fingertips these days and in the most part it is an extremely positive thing. The barriers to learning are coming down and those with a true thirst for knowledge are no longer restricted by their access to books and teachers and only by their access to the Internet.
When we decide we want to know about something, it is important to get information before forming an opinion, or equipping ourselves for a debate and actually commendable that we first endeavour to research. The problem is, unless we research the research, the information source may not be credible and in turn neither will the opinion that is based on that source be credible.
If you open up a web browser and use a search engine, you can search for anything. The engine will give hundreds or even thousands of hits. There is so much information – and misinformation – that is easily available to us, how can we possibly tell which sources are reliable and which sources are not?
What is disguised as scientific study or factual information may not necessarily be so. Anyone can conduct a study and publish it; anyone can write anything in a book or on the Internet. Just because something is in print in any form does not make it accurate and factual. Just because you heard it on television or radio, does not make it true. Just because something was stated persuasively, or convincingly, by your favourite politician, actor, singer, author, or best friend, does not make it fact.
Most people have an agenda. Even those who do not set out to purposefully deceive and who stick to the facts can leave out important information that makes a huge difference in what has actually been said or written. Getting information in context and getting all of the information is what makes the difference and with the media climate the way it is, we are well aware that this is an issue right here in Guyana at the moment.
When we begin our own research we are more often than not already starting from a biased opinion ourselves and that can make us susceptible to biased information. We can lean then towards information that supports our preconceived ideas. How many of us have the time or resources to check all of the news we confront on a daily basis? How many instead rely on other methods of assessing truth, specifically; does it fit with our pre-existing beliefs? Does it suit our cause? Does it ease our conscience?
Even though it can be difficult assessing the reliability of information found on the Internet and other published works, if we want to claim integrity of our opinions, it is important to evaluate the sources and information used for references. For example, when we read research papers, the validity and value of that research has to take many factors into account. Reliable research publications conduct peer review processes and replications by other researchers to ensure the resulting data and information is both reliable and repeatable. It may be a little time consuming but exploring a sources’ reputation and process can quickly determine the likelihood of the validity of the publication.
The truth can so easily be buried in a landslide of misrepresentations and lies. Sometimes people make honest mistakes. Other times, we argue about how to interpret something. In many cases it is simply agenda directed. If we continue to accept fake news, inaccurate reporting, excessively biased publications as true, our judgments will be questionable, our arguments invalid and our perceptions of our world skewed. If we continue to may make decisions based on things we want to be true rather than the real state of the world, we run the risk of existing in a delusional state and fighting battles that do not need to be fought.
As a society, being surrounded by such an array of unreliable information and allowing it to direct our thinking and actions is a dangerous position to be in. What we do and say as adults can be impressionable and with unfounded opinions, we perpetuate the cycle as those who listen and believe use us an unreliable source to base their opinions on.
If we want to believe in ourselves, our opinions, our actions and our perceptions, we have a responsibility to find out why we have them, what we base them on and if we can stand firmly by them with integrity.
