Information Credibility on the Internet

Information Credibility on the Internet

The internet can be defined as a network of networks; it interconnects millions of computers and networks globally. In the last couple of decades internet has been integrated into people's life across the globe. In today's modern world, people are relying mainly on the internet for data and important information. People search for information for different reasons; they look for help, support, knowledge and much more.

"Information is defined as that which has meaning, in that it reduces uncertainty for the seeker (Belkin, 1978; Buckland, 1991)"; "Information can also, however, increase uncertainty and create more dissonance (Rogers, 1995)".

"The impact of information can be limited to learning: Information can simply be stored and recalled. However in many cases, there can be much larger impact. Information can be passed on to others and it can also be used to make decisions, and it can affect attitudes and behaviors. We encounter a great deal of information in our everyday lives, most of which we filter out, retaining only that which is useful to us. One of the criteria we use to filter information is credibility, or believability (Wathen, 2002; Burkell, 2002)."

Anyone can post anything on the web. It is important for people to understand the credibility of information available on the web. "At its simplest, credibility can be defined as believability (Tseng & Fogg, 1999)". There are actually several indications available to decide whether the information available on the internet is reliable. Unlike the traditional media there are no set ethical regulations which control the available information on the World Wide Web. Internet search engines rate the websites according to search engines concept of credibility. It does not mean the information is credible and is what we are looking for. Therefore it is important to vary of information available on the internet as anyone can post anything on World Wide Web.

Below are some of the ways to determine that the information available on World Wide Web pages is credible.

1. Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is a string which specifies where a resource is available on the internet. It is the unique way of identifying resources on the web. It is the first component of credibility on the internet. Some of the URL's end with .edu, .gov, .org etc. Using the URL, It will be easy to find from what source and geographical location the information is displayed and the exact server where the WebPages are hosted. Finding out the reputation of the source will help us in knowing the credibility of the information posted on the source website.

2. Citation: The website where the information is listed should have the list of citations with reference to authoritative sources. If the information on the website is not properly cited, then the author should clearly specify that the information on the website is his personal opinion.

3. We can also find out whether the author of the website is associated with any professional organization or university and if the author is associated to any professional organization, then the website should have the link to that organization. But the link to that organization does