Informative Information About: Information

Informative Information About: Information

At this point in time, humans have the greatest amount of intellectual information they have ever had. Yet many people fall victim to sources presenting false information, or purchasing information available for free. This essay will cover why this is should be a concern, and what you can do about it.

First, a reader should be informed on what the definition of information is. Merriam-Webster, a source of word definitions for over one hundred years, states that information is "knowledge that you get about someone or something: facts or details about a subject". Our abilities to record and store this information has expanded vastly. The oldest form of retention that we know is word-of-mouth. Here knowledge

is passed down from generation to generation in simple devices such as stories. Accuracy here can be debated, as all stories could be subject to change. Next writing was developed. This allowed for information to be put down onto objects that would last longer than the human mind.
Within the last two hundred years our capabilities have exploded. A modern computer can have the ability to store thousands of books, songs, or other bits of information. If not able to do all this, it may be able to access other information stored elsewhere instantly through the Internet.
A study conducted at the University of California at Berkeley, by Senior researchers Peter Lyman, and Hal R. Varian, concluded that in 2002 that the amount of new information being stored and created was "equivalent in size to the information contained in 37,000 new libraries the size of the Library of Congress"(2003, p. 1).
Consequently, many may be pushed to state that the information being stored is useless, the vast quantities being produced make it impossible for anyone to manipulate it, or that this study is too old to be relevant. Instead, the situation is opposite.
The usage of computers for information or data compiling has only increased. Within thirteen years, since that study was completed, the overall digital storage space created has only been increasing. One of the grandest examples of this, that almost all Americans interact with, is the cloud. The cloud is not as one found in nature. It is, instead a massive system of remote servers and other interacting devices. Usually people associate this with smartphones due to the given capability to backup an entire phone on the cloud. What many do not know is that some use cloud hosting for entire website. This makes the owner of the website have no need to purchase or maintain their own individual server, and lets them use only as much space as the website takes up.
Furthermore, this information in general is not useless. There may be plenty of information an individual does not want, but there is a ton of data about the individual produced and stored. A gorgeous video by Michael Rigley, called Network(2012), tells us that every action we take on the net can be recorded, and used not only to sell us to advertisement agencies, but can modify the actual information we find. A common example is an individuals’ social media accounts. A user actions, such as likes and searches, can be tracked. The company can then label a person under a certain demographic, and sell their account for advertising to companies looking to sell to that specific demographic. In layman’s terms, one who spends time looking for something, will find more of that.
Last on the list is the impossible-ness in mass data manipulation. While it may be impossible for an individual to do so, it is possible for a large competitor or corporation to corner an area. We will look at two different examples.
First we have a patent system. Lawmart sums up patents as a grant given to an inventor to stop others from making it (2016). This looks great on paper. Reality though is different. Two different problems currently arise from this. One is the infamously nick-named "patent trolls". These are people or corporations who seek patents in an effort to become legally capable of suing others over them. The next problem arises from corporations abilities to almost completely override patents. Joe Nocera, of The New York Times, wrote that “big companies now willing infringe on others patents due to their confidence on challenging the patents validity” (2015).
Next, areas of information can be blocked out by larger competitors.

A simple search for any how-to or DIY subject can turn up thousands of results. Sadly, many of these results can be spam, fake, or charge fees. My personal example comes from one of my own purchases. While looking for information on wild edible plants, I was continually led back to one book. The author was said to have a PhD, and was to be considered to have the highest quality information available. Thirty dollars and a week later I received the book that was supposed to set me on my way. He spends the first twenty pages talking about himself. The next forty about what belt he prefers to wear outside. The book proceeded to cover only fifteen different plants. Angry, I went back online, and after multiple hours of searching, found a five dollar deck of cards that had information on fifty plants in my region, and held more information about each them than the

book.
In all this, how can a person protect themselves from this? The first step should be to always look for the free information available.
A commonly overlooked information source is a person’s friends and family. A quick look around may reveal a friend or relative who works in, or is familiar in that subject field. Upon further examination, one can discover that grandparents may hold experiences or information not know anywhere else. Usually this may be a family recipe or story, but greater treasures may be in store for those who go and ask.
Almost all cites have libraries.

Information is easily attainable from ones local location. Usually to check out a more than one book a library card is required, but is of no hassle to obtain. Libraries may even provide some extra fabulous features. A premier example is Ludington's local library, The Mason County District Library. Established over one hundred years ago, they provide open wifi, computers, and meeting rooms (2016). Michigan residents also may access MEL or the Michigan eLibrary. MEL allows a user to search for any article with the database related to the search. Their advanced search feature can fully optimize how it looks for articles related to the entered words, and will pull up more relevant results than a Google search. These searches can still pull up articles that hold facts based in falsehoods. To prevent this, an individual only has to click on the peer review search filter. This prevents any article appearing that has not been reviewed by others familiar with the

subject.
The Internet has the largest amount of free information available. There are some downsides though. One is due to public access. Almost anyone can say anything. There are a couple general rules that should be followed. First, what is the website and authors credibility? If the website supports junk ads or the author does not supply any credentials, you may want to consider all the information carefully. Another good sign is a reference list. Not only can a reference list give you other sources of information, but allows you to check the credentials of where the article got its information. Next, what websites are linked on the website and, what website provides links back? If the Smithsonian links the website in one of their references, the information can probably be held in higher regard.
All websites need to be considered for biased views. These can range from subtle to very upfront. While looking at, say a DIY website, look for sponsors. One tool or method may be recommended over another, simply because they have been bought to do so. More up front can be seen from how a website advertises itself. A website presented as a hub for anarchists, will most likely not have reliable information about governments. The main reason to avoid biased information is the likelihood that the information will either bend, or ignore other facts, to help supported the view of the website.
Another good tactic for information gathering is not to rely wholly on one source. This can give multiple advantages to a person incorporating this. One is the ability to eliminate outliers. A website that has a "fact" that no one else has, can be considered either to recent to be included, or simply incorrect. Secondly, by looking in books, web, and other, one may find information, not as common as in the other. A book may have more information on a single aspect, than a website that tries to summarize something in its entirety. Plus, having a wealth of resources makes information more viable if a person plans on presenting it.
On the subject of purchasing information. If a person has gone through all of the available relevant free information, and is still not satisfied, then maybe they should consider a purchasable source. Much of what has been said still applies here as well. Does the author support relevant credentials? Another smart option is to read available reviews. These can give a better idea of what exactly the purchase will include.
In total, information is great. To truly admire the effect, one only has to look back into the past. But our craving for information can be easily preyed upon. To this extent, whenever information is required, an individual must be careful. By researching the research, people can help eliminate fantasy from fact, and free up information. Lastly, what an individual hopefully pulls away with from this paper is that much of the world’s information can be gained for free, as long as they look in the right places.