Abbey Smith – Week 5

I found this week’s reading of Verified to be the most interesting yet. I think it was the most interesting because it definitely had concepts I had not considered before. And I can see how these concepts will be very helpful. 

In Chapter 4, something I found important that was mentioned is that we shouldn’t read print, such as books, the same way we read the internet. The internet isn’t a book, it’s a web of mediums that fall into other mediums. This leads into the concept of lateral reading, which I found to be the most intriguing part of the reading. Maybe I have participated in lateral reading before, but it was interesting seeing it described and understanding how detrimental it can be. I find it very important to research surrounding the source you have found, even if this leads you down rabbit holes of information. I think it’s much better to know too much rather than to know too little about what you’re researching.  

I also liked the idea of scanning the links that come up after a search rather than clicking on all of them. It’s good to consider: Does this look real? Have I heard of this site? Is this a parody? I feel like we should know to look for these things, but I know I’m guilty of looking past it because I can be so eager for the results that I’m looking for. I really enjoyed how the reading basically said that sometimes you have to make a guess about a source simply based on the vibes. It also acted as a good reminder to take in everything that comes up as a result, whether it’s good or bad, to better ensure the reliability. It’s good to weigh your options, especially when it comes to research. Looking at accurate and inaccurate sources will further progress your research.  

In Chapter 5, I enjoyed the clear definitions of perspectives/agreements in discourse communities. Most of these are words I was already familiar with, but had been using interchangeably. It’s nice to have these definitions to further understand the importance of how communities view what is fact versus what is not. A term I was not familiar with, but think is very vital, is fringe. Still acknowledging viewpoints that are supported by the minority can be very important, in my opinion. It’s good to consider and look at all sides of an argument, even if you don’t agree with it.