While we all know that everything on the internet is not real, this article made me think twice about how I consider websites to be “real” or a hoax. The underlying details of Martin Luther King’s website, although I may have thought it sounded fishy while reading, it probably would not have occurred to me to check out the email or web link design to verify its truth. Many of the websites this article sites as fake are websites that many students could use for school purposes and research, making it even scarier.
Likewise, I personally would think of the news as pretty verifiable information. The part in the article about news professionals reporting false information found on an Associated Press report that ended up being a spoof also will make me think twice when hearing the nightly news. I think it is disgusting to think of people scamming money off of others asking for “donations” in times of crisis; these websites only make people more cautious of giving away their money to those that really need it.
As for the medical hoaxes and misleading information, I do not listen to any medical advice online, no matter how credible the source is. Although I have looked up medical questions, if it was an issue I was seriously concerned about, I would most certainly go to the doctor for clarification, not the internet. In the end, I think it is very sad that the internet has the potential to be a great wealth of information, and instead has become something to be constantly questioned and misused.
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