Navigating Digital Information

Key Concepts: Digital literacy, source evaluation, lateral reading, vertical reading, information reliability, bias, conflict of interest, media literacy, Wikipedia, fact-checking.

Introduction

John Green introduces the importance of digital information navigation as a crucial 21st-century skill. He emphasizes that understanding the source of information is key to determining its reliability. Crash Course is a product of Complexly, funded by Patreon, advertisements, and grants, including support from MediaWise, a collaboration between the Poynter Institute and the Stanford History Education Group.

Understanding Information Production

Information is always produced by someone for a specific purpose. Newspapers aim to inform but also need to sell subscriptions and ads. Advertisements promote products. Movies and books entertain and/or stimulate cultural conversations. These motives can overlap. The key question is: "Who made this and why?" Motivations can be complex and multiple.

The "Stop City-Funded Internet" Example

The "Stop City-Funded Internet" campaign in West Plains, Missouri, illustrates the difficulty of identifying the true source of information. The campaign, opposing a taxpayer-funded municipal internet service, appeared to be a grassroots movement. However, it was revealed to be funded by Fidelity Communications, a local commercial internet provider, who didn't want to lose customers. This was discovered because the file name of the site’s logo had “Fidelity” in it.

Vertical vs. Lateral Reading

The video contrasts vertical and lateral reading. Vertical reading involves staying on a website and reading from top to bottom, which can be misleading as it only presents the creator's perspective. Websites can appear authoritative through design, citations, and professional photography. Lateral reading involves leaving the initial website and opening new tabs to find additional information from other sources.

Lateral Reading in Practice: The ALEC Example

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) website is used as an example. The site presents ALEC as a nonpartisan organization of state legislators promoting limited government and free markets. Lateral reading, using Wikipedia, ALEC Exposed, and news articles from The Atlantic and The Guardian, reveals that corporations like AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are also members. This exposes a potential conflict of interest in ALEC's article against internet regulation, as these companies have a financial incentive to oppose such regulation.

Resources for Lateral Reading

Newspapers, Magazines, and Digital News Sites

These can be good places to start. Newspapers have been around for decades or even centuries and have tons of information. Traditionally, newspapers provided written information about current events printed daily or weekly. Today, many newspapers have turned into digital media companies that publish news online daily in a variety of formats. Some focus on international or national news and others focus on local news. However, online news organizations often have their own points of view, which can be explicit (liberal or conservative) or more subtle.

Fact-Checking Websites

Sites like Snopes.com and Politifact.com are valuable resources for fact-checking articles, statements, and social media posts. They are created by researchers and journalists. While not infallible, they strive for accuracy.

Wikipedia

Despite being often discouraged by educators, Wikipedia can be a good starting point for research. It is the largest general reference work on the web and is subject to editing standards. While articles can be wrong, many are well-sourced and carefully written. Wikipedia provides citations at the bottom of each page.

The Importance of Source Evaluation

No single source is inherently objective. Information is created by flawed, biased people. However, this doesn't mean all information is equally unreliable. Understanding who shares information and why is crucial for evaluating its reliability and context.

Conclusion

Lateral reading is essential for navigating the web effectively. Passively accepting information from single sources empowers misinformation and disinformation. The web demands a new kind of reading that involves leaving individual websites to understand them better. This skill will improve with practice.