week 5- david

Verified makes a point not to trust the websites we want to trust. The most professional looking websites, like for doctors or health-related sites, have formal logos and scientific tones to fool us. Use the web to read the web and find the information you need using lateral reading. We must not use all the information we have because not all of it is trustworthy, obviously. Since everyone has their own unique way of gathering information, using both your gut feeling and a little common sense can help you get the most out of Google’s search results. Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are three important key takeaways when deciding the article, site, and author. Clicking Google’s top results or sponsored results is not always the best option, and sites pay Google so that people can see these results first. Click restraint will help you observe the information; however, as the book states, “look, but don’t click.” Use lateral reading and other tabs to dissect the information and see what is accurate, and what is false.

When writing, especially essays or any important paper, do not trust just one article. Unfortunately, the internet has made it so. Get a second or third opinion so that the information makes sense. Observing links and URLs in search results will show which website will help you get the information you need. This requires more observation, but less clicking.

What makes chapter five interesting is the explanation of the different types of agreements and disagreements. Competing theories consist of multiple explanations, and most experts agree with one or another. No idea is dominant since they are all competing. Majority and minority has only one widely accepted theory, and some experts support one side or the other. Consensus is when the evidence is so compelling that the question is answered and has moved on to other questions and theories. I think a good example is the flat Earth theory. Scientists have proved the curvature of the Earth, but some theorists continue to prove that it is flat. Uncertainty is when most experts are uncertain or doubtful about the theory or theories. Fringe was a bit confusing for me honestly. I believe it is information on a theory that is not considered by experts.

The point in learning these types of agreements and disagreements is to identify the expert’s perspective or side of an argument or theory. If it is unidentifiable, then it may be best to move onto another article.