We spend so much time on the internet, it’s become an epidemic of people constantly on their phones or tablets. What are they looking at? It ranges from pictures, statuses, articles, journals, blogs, videos, etc.
There is so much out there, but how do we know what’s fact from fiction? Just because a ‘truthful’ person says something, does not make it true. It works for a ‘truthful’ website as well. Just because they post something that reads true and you agree with it, does not make it fact.
Fact is “something that actually exists; reality; truth” and is “a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true” (Fact). Or in other words, something that is a fact is something that can be backed up by evidence that can make it to be true by others.
Fiction, on the other hand, is the opposite. “…something feigned, invented, or imagined, a made-up story” and “an imaginary thing or event, postulated for the purposes of argument or explanation” (Fiction). So, it doesn’t need evidence to back it up because it’s not real.
When it comes to articles online from news sites or a blog station, then you should be prepared to do your own research on whether it is fact or fiction writing. To help in the endeavor, you can ask yourself, “Is the purpose stated? Who is the author, owner, or sponsor of the site? This should be stated clearly at the site, along with an address and telephone number where they can be reached. Is the person or organization recognized as an expert or known for providing information in this field? Can it be verified by other sources? Is the information grammatically and typographically accurate? Spelling, grammar, and typographical errors indicate a lack of quality control and can result in further inaccuracies when using the information” (Screen Test).
Pictures speak over a thousand words, but how can you tell if a picture that is posted is real? There’s actually a lot out there to help you determine if a picture is real or not. There are bloggers and other people on the internet that do “photo-debunking” for others all the time (Loker). “@FakeAstropox is an example of a Twitter account that does some heavy-lifting for you and keeps you in the know” (Loker). Plus, if they are on a website or news site that you know can’t be trusted, well that’s an obvious way to know.
An example of a fake, or fiction, information on the internet has to do with an ABC News correspondent. “He claimed to have information that TWA Flight 800, which crashed after takeoff from New York’s Kennedy airport, was shot down by a U.S. Navy missile. In fact he obtained his information from a posting on an internet newsgroup. Although, the document contained great technical detail, there was no hard evidence to back up the allegation” (Evaluating Online).
It just goes to show that if its posted on the internet, does not make it true. Even if it’s from a truthful looking website that seems to have all the answers. Always search up the sponsor, the author, the credibility of the site, and of course, the article itself should be relevant and the purpose must be stated to begin with. Doing your own research on it should not be difficult, it should only take some time. But time to find the fact or fiction is worth it.
References
Evaluating Online Information–Fact or Fiction? (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from http://www.learnthenet.com/learn-about/evaluating-online-information/
Loker, K. (2014, July 18). How to find out if a photo your friend posted online is fake. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/training-tools/prove-photo-fake/
Fact. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fact
Fiction. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Retrieved May 15, 2017 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fiction
Screen Test: Separating Fact from Fiction Online. (1998, December 29). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from https://www.inc.com/articles/1998/12/13019.html
