You can learn about anything on the Internet. At least it seems that way. The fact is, if you are doing research online, you're likely to stumble into information that looks true but actually isn't. And that can scuttle your research easily. Thankfully, Web site Lifehacker recently provided several tips on how to conduct more effective research on the Internet. Follow these tips and you'll soon be finding the truth online.
Watch for your bias
Lifehacker's first tip? Be cautious about your own bias. All of us are guilty of something termed confirmation bias. We want to find information with which we already agree. For example, if you're a lifelong liberal, you'll be more likely to believe studies demonstrating that poverty is the real reason behind low school test scores. It is crucial when researching online to identify your own biases and to make sure that you're not selectively sourcing studies that confirm it. It's important to give weight; too, to research that contradicts your beliefs.
Look for bad information
Lifehacker points to poorly cited articles as a big trap for online researchers. Unfortunately, the Internet is packed with "research" that isn't very methodical in nature. Look for articles that are highly sourced and that originate from respected journals, magazines or newspapers. You can generally count on medical journals and government reports, as well, when it comes to online research.
Specialized online research
To find the newest and most comprehensive studies on your subject, you'll need to expand your search beyond the usual suspects of Google, Bing and Yahoo! Instead, use specialized scholarly searches that can yield more detailed information. Google Scholar and Scirus are powerful tools for academic research. So is PLOS, run by the Public Library of Science, and the United States Library of Congress.
Is the United States creating a more dangerous Web? This is the theory depicted in a recent story by the MIT Technology Review. The story details the story of Stuxnet. You may remember this bit of malware as it made big news in 2010 when it was discovered. These days, the general opinion is that Stuxnet was made by the governments of the United States and Israel to attack the industrial equipment needed to build Iran's budding nuclear program. As the Technology Review story states, Stuxnet might be the first well-known example of a new version of warfare, one in which countries use malware along with other viruses to attack the computer and security systems of other nations. And the United States might be the leader in this form of virtual warfare.
Crafting a more dangerous Web?
Here's the fear, as expressed in the Technology Review story. As governments spend a rising amount of dollars to develop malware weapons, are they also making the Internet a more dangerous place than it already is? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be a definite "yes”. No one knows how many malware weapons governments have implemented since Stuxnet made news. But, as the story says, many have undoubtedly done their job without the public learning about them. That ought to make any Internet users feel nervous.
Watch your smartphone
Don't believe that you can avoid malware weapons by doing most of your computing on tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices. The reality is, governments are particularly interested in targeting these mobile devices. First, a growing number of people are doing the majority of their computing on these mobile devices. Secondly, mobile devices are particularly vulnerable to malware because their operating systems are updated so rarely. The Technology Review story points to Apple, which only updates its iPhone operating system a few times every year. That represents a golden opportunity for governments to infect the smartphones of suspects with spyware.
An age-old threat?
The Technology Review story ends on this chilling thought: Maybe malware weapons are nothing new. After all, countries are always building new and more devastating weapons. It ought to come as little wonder, then, that governments are taking to the online world, too, with regards to creating new weapons. It's unfortunate, though, that this newest round of arms building is making a more dangerous Internet.