Observatons About Internet 411

The world of the Internet can be a blessing and a curse. Ecclesiastes tell us that "There is nothing new under the sun", and so far as I can tell, it's true! Let ANY thought pop into your head, and you can instantly find out more about that thought...."Just Google (T) it!" It's become the information mantra of the 21st century. It's already thought out for you! The blessing is that you WILL find the answer(s). The curse is that you can be misinformed if you stick to a single source site without determining if there is any validity to the information or not. The Internet is an intriguing tool because you can get all the contrasting information you want in one sitting. When dealing with people's opinion, it's definitely going to be one-sided. When dealing with books, you are going to only get one view at a time. Again, a blessing or a curse.

Observing others on message boards using Internet information has been very interesting to me over the years. It blows my mind how people determine if the found information is what they need or not. This observation applies specifically to questions regarding health issues, religion, politics, and parenting and schooling issues (particularly homeschooling~~more on that another time).
Here are a few ways some seem to use to decide the validity of the information they find:

• The first "hit."
• If multiple hits, the "eenie, meenie, miney, mo" method.
• A (favorite) talk show host said it, too.
• The (favorite) media said it, too.
• If they personally know "an expert" who can support their particular find.
• If it totally goes with or against their own PERSONAL experience.

Not that some of these methods shouldn't or can't be used (there's a time and a place), but if there is ever a place for "relativity", I think this is it. With some of the people I've observed, it's ALL or NOTHING. I think just because certain information is not relevant to YOU does not mean that it's IRrelevant to someone else! I admit that I kind of walk away when I see people disrespect other's opinions or observations about health issues simply because "There is no scientific proof that.....yada, yada, yada...." SO WHAT?????? Not every member of the human race is listed in scientific and medical studies! It may take another decade or so to confirm what certain individuals or groups have figured out all along, y'know? Why have they figured this out? They have observed their OWN results and are documenting those results to publish later. I believe this is solely why you'll find contrasting reports and articles on the Internet about some health issues facing America. Does that make one or the other invalid? In my eyes, absolutely not.

You wanna talk politics? Just put in any name or event you want to research, and I'm pretty confident (I'm not a betting woman) that you'll eventually find supporting AND opposing views on them, each backed, of course, by the media. It's the continuation of the Internet political debate game. Which way will you lean your ear? Most times you need to go to more than one source to determine who is stretching the truth, and who is outright lying; because we know and agree that, generally speaking, a politician is incapable of telling the truth, right? ;)

Religion? Particularly Christianity? That's easy for me. My BIBLE IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY IN ALL THINGS. Whatever I read that doesn't line up with what God's Word says goes out the window (figuratively speaking~~I try not to litter). I'm not talking about a verse here and a verse there. I'm talking about a fairly balanced view based on what I study. I am not guided by my human sense in the matters of faith. That does not mean that I am not interested in what various religions teach. I simply don't apply them to my own life. It may be relevant to others and their beliefs, but not to me. What is your yardstick? What do you stand on and compare all other information to, Internet or otherwise?

Parenting. Oh, now THERE'S a topic of passion! How often do we seek the help of the Internet for parenting ideas? Talk show host? Pick and issue, any issue, and you're bound to run into someone who says that any given article is a bunch of crock. Why? Because that didn't work for them! It is completely irrelevant to them. Do you discard it simply because other influences in your life opined that the given advice is worthless? What if you gave it a try? It's successful for you. What does that say about the naysayers? That it simply didn't work for them. That's all. They are not stupid jerks, and neither are you MegaMom or MegaDad. I've met children who see to that. : { But then again, I'm not the final authority on this, either. : ) What about if you were successful about something, gave the advice to someone else, and that advice fails for them? It simply means it didn't work for them. We can't forget that children are unique individuals, too. I have found more often than not that some of your "experts" with children have no children of their own.

It's my opinion that the Internet can be a valuable source of information. However, I think it's good to have valid sources to back up your finds; be it someone you know and trust, what your gut tells you, (as Christians) how it compares with the Bible, and just if it's relevant and applicable to what you're looking for. I don't recommend the "eenie, meenie, miney, mo" method, tho.