I like the Internet. I ought to, I live here. It is vocation and avocation, creation and recreation. But even I know that what I see on the Internet isn't Truth.
Picture me explaining to a slightly older (yes, children, it’s possible to be older than I am) friend that you can’t believe what you see online. He pointed out that I cite the Internet all the time, which I do. I say things like “according to this website” or “so-and-so posted that”. I don’t cite statement as fact; I merely pass on what I saw so it can be discussed.
Granted, I’m a teensy bit cynical. Go ahead and snort, we’ll wait. I take what’s told to me at face value. Factor in my obsession with staying informed, and it’s at best a dilemma and at worst a paradox.
How do you do it?
How do you tell the difference between what your Great-Aunt Myrtle says about government conspiracies, and what you heard on the news?
My friend asked me, “Who do you believe?” and I have to say I was stumped. Then again, I don’t believe much.
The question of the day, indeed, the question for our time, is how to tell truth from opinion and observation from presumption. But don’t take my word for it. This is just something you saw online, and isn’t any more true than a Viagra ad or the latest weight-loss fad.
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