We have all heard this statement before – IF IT IS ON THE INTERNET, IT MUST BE TRUE.  Usually we laugh.  And we should.  The problem is our actions, in regards to what we do with that internet information doesn’t support that laughter. Unfortunately, we often believe something just because we saw it on the internet. And we repost it to share our knowledge with our little world.  What has happened to our research skills?

Research is usually taught in our school system, often times by librarians (and my school district has made the decision to do away with them?) and often times by classroom teachers.  When I learned my research skills, we needed a card catalog. And you had to walk through snow to get to them – something like 6 miles worth. But really – research is a valuable tool.  And without it – we are just a gullible society.

One of my FaceBook friends posted a very good blog/article on just this very subject.  They highlighted a couple of recent FB links that have been circulating recently regarding some hot topics in our society.  I had even seen these same articles show up on my page. This person asked if anyone had re-posted any of these articles – rhetorical question – and if so, did we know if any of them were actually true. Ouch!

Did you know that Andy Griffith died?  I saw this on FB on July 3, 2015.  Several people commented on it shortly after I saw it posted.  Sad story.  But something bothered me about this post.  I was sure I had heard this before.  A little research confirmed my thoughts.  Andy Griffith died on July 3, 2012 – at least that is what I found out on the internet.  The post had some truth to it, but the context was wrong.  BTW – did you know he was buried within several hours of his death? Go find out if I am right!

This is not a stand alone incident.  It is overwhelming how many religious, political and lifestyle articles are posted and reposted on FB every day. Articles that emotionally impact us and sometimes incite us to enter into a verbal barrage with “friends”.  There are days that my feed is “interrupted” with someone actually reporting on an event in their personal lives, lol!

Long ago, I decided to not comment on these articles. To not repost them.  In fact, most of them, especially ones that seem incredible, I don’t even read. But apparently, a lot of other people do!  And a lot of people actually believe the stuff they read in these articles.  Seriously folks – do a little research before you go off on these topics.  Just because it is written down does not make it true.

This gentleman suggested a couple of things – one I use regularly and one I had not given any thought to.  SNOPES is a great website that checks the validity of many claims that we see today.  I would encourage you to check your facts with them.  The other, was to carefully watch the extension of the websites that are used as the “reporters” of the information.  There are many counterfeits out there.  Like the time an elementary school student wanted to do research on the Whitehouse and searched whitehouse.com….don’t do it… this website had nothing to do with government.. you imagine the rest.  That was a fun day at school!

Suffice it to say that  we need to be very careful about reading and propagating all of the information that is at our fingertips.  The share button is easy to hit, and your “friends” trust your judgement, so be respectful of that.  Be sure that we aren’t playing internet “telephone” and that we are sharing intelligent, well proven information.

Or better yet – how about FB goes back to being a place where we share our personal lives not our agendas?  Yup, I just said that.  What happened to telling us what you did in your world today, how you felt about it , what your latest news is?  I know I could delete these “posting” friends or hide them from my timeline, but then I might miss an important event in their lives and I don’t want to do that – it’s the reason I am on FB in the first place.  I want to know what flowers bloomed in your garden, I am excited to see your children visit, how wonderful you have a new boat, and yes I will pray with you as you grieve a loss in your life.  Please, don’t stop sharing that stuff.  And the other stuff, I am ok with too, because it speaks of who you are as a person, and your belief structure – but please be sure it is accurate and help contain the FaceBook wars.

Instead, lets try to share the facts, and sometimes the facts are ugly, but sometimes the facts are beautiful. At the very least, be sure the truth is vetted prior to posting, make sure we all know when you are posting fact vs your opinion and make  your librarian and classroom teachers of days gone by are proud of your skills..
Rant over – I will go see what kind of news is going on in my life to share on FaceBook!