You have an important personal question you'd like answered. Explain the procedure for getting your question answered and why this method appeals to you (you don't need to get specific, but let's assume the answer does not require specific expert knowledge, as from a doctor).
In finding an answer to an important personal question, I would first fully formulate my question. I would then probably type in key words into an internet search engine, such as Google, to see what others have done in similar situations. If a key word search didn't work, I'd just type in the whole question. I would not solely trust these answers because there is no way to undoubtedly know who wrote them. After doing some "preliminary research", I would discuss the answers I found with a friend or one of my parents to see what they thought and figure out an answer through that. I've done this a lot with questions about cooking this year (and yes, I know these aren't that personal of questions). I don't need an expert opinion to know how to cook a sweet potato in the oven, I just need the opinion of someone who has cooked one. So in the middle of cooking when I can't find a house mate or get a hold of my mom, I look to Google.
Even though I almost always go to an actual person for answer or advice, I usually start with the internet because when I think of a question I usually don't want to wait for a friend to return a call before beginning to seek out an answer. I like that the internet is pretty much instantaneous, this way I can start thinking about different answers (by using the internet) and ask the opinion of someone I trust (by later asking a friend). As Shriky states in chapter 3 of Here Comes Everybody, the internet has changed the "overall ecosystem of information" (p. 56). We no longer have to sift through many books and magazine articles hoping we will find the answer we're looking for. Almost anything is on the internet because it has changed the question of publishing "from Why publish this? to Why not?" (p. 60). We have free answers at the click of a button; the problem lies in trusting these answers without testing their validity.
A friend of mine recently was complaining about a sore bump on his tongue. I Googled it for him using my cell phone. The results weren't very helpful at first glance - everything from tongue cancer to common sores that might go away in a few days.
ReplyDeleteHe decided to wait a few days and if it didn't improve, he'd go see his dentist.
What surprised him was all the discussion online of people with tongue problems. Who knew.