Cory Doctrow's article Truth and the Net really got me to thinking about the level of truth to be found in online sources. Looked at in face value, there are many problems to be had; take Wikipedia for example! It seems to be failing, as this article would illustrate, the quality problem of accurate information seeming to be almost insurmountable.
I however see a more positive light to this- perhaps wikipedia is not giving birth to a period of online fallacies, but one of corroboration. Since people seem to be, for the most part, aware of this online problem of inaccuracy, this will lead to a culture of double checking, not taking facts they read anywhere at face value. If the desire for truth is sought, then the checking of alternate sources and the reading of comments for articles to see what other people have to say about the truth of an article or post will occur. And once this occurs, people will begin to explore a topic on a deeper level, investigating for themselves.
Frankly, this is great. If you noticed an inaccuracy in a newspaper, or a clear bias, you could only send them a letter, which they could choose for themselves whether or not to post. On the internet, you can immediately have your thoughts heard, read the thoughts of others, and hold the bearers of false information accountable much easier than you ever could in print.
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