Week 7, Discussion Leader 13 - Patrick Cadle

For week 7, the required reading "Crap Detection 101" by Howard Rheingold is an article that describes the ways we obtain information in the mordern era of search engines and news media. Rheingold gives a guide on how to detect spam and misinformation presented to us online. Through online search engines we can research and obtain an answers to any questions we ask, but how to decipher from what is factor fiction is the difficult part. There are many simple and free tips Rheingold gives his readers to validating what is presented to one online. From this reading arises a few questions I would like to ask:

1.) When you are online do you think you have have a built in "automatic crap detector" while browsing the internet?

2.) What are some of the instances you know you are receiving invalid information, and what are some of the ways you verify information that you get online?

3.) What are some of the reasons you think people share massive amount of misinformation or spam online, what is the end goal? Why would somebody create a website without sound information?

4.) What are some of the ways to increase the general populations internet literacy in a way that more people can learn to detect "crap" online?

5.) How are aspects of democracy, economic production, of the discovery and use of knowledge at stake with forces trying to shape online media with spam and misinformation?

6.) News is shared online in many ways today, in regards to social media, how do you see people or groups sharing news online and is it always straight news?