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Essay On Evaluating Information

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My process of evaluating information is entirely dependent on the medium through which I receive the information. It differs greatly between people, online outlets, and televised information. While my methods are different for each resource, and are by no means foolproof, they have proven to be the most effective at disseminating and examining information as objectively as possible. People are multi-faceted and as such, exhibit unpredictable behaviors at times. People who are mostly trustworthy may even sometimes engage in story-telling, rather than fact-sharing, with or without their own awareness. Friends, for example, may repeat stories of how they out swam riptides when in fact this has been proven to be nearly impossible for any …show more content…

Websites that have little to no reputation are usually ignored, and even websites that do are regarded with a grain of salt. Without delving too much into the reliability of the human mind under duress, it is still somewhat hard to believe horrible or hope-filled stories on what have always been deemed reliable sites. At its core, people are the drivers of the spread of false information. Social media is, in part, to blame in my opinion. There has been a shift from a general range of information presented to the public, such as the newspaper, to very restrictive and narrowly focused sources such as social media or search engines. A public that was once presented with general knowledge, now more than likely seeks out information to confirm what they already suspect. The objectivity of information seeking, even if one is conscientiously trying to be aware of it, may be losing an uphill battle in the light of previously held prejudices. With third parties such as friends and loved ones, the relationship is my first and foremost priority. I never desire to hurt another person with my words or actions, and try to be actively aware of what I say and do as a result. If someone I care for exaggerates a story, while I may not believe it, I say nothing in order to preserve our friendship. In the grand scheme of life, it means little to me anyways, and I am certain I have been guilty of the same exaggeration in the past. If a loved one

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