With social networks and Apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Telegram, listing but few, the rate of sharing false information ꟷinternet hoaxes, fake news, messages with factual inaccuracies and serious misinformation and rumorsꟷ some of which tarnish the image of most famous people, big companies and renowned brands can never be undermentioned.
What about the cases of connecting with people over the internet; across countries and other international borders? Connecting with people from all walks of life, over the internet, some of those we know little or nothing at all about (them) can be very dangerous and never should we overlook this issue.
Why? Some “friends” can be imposters and they can harm us by getting over our personal lives or even intruding into our online and offline privacy to release a good factor of our known personal information.
Research into the modern trends in the use of the internet establishes the fact that if practical measures are not put in place for internet users to adopt, in time, the use of the Internet will be a wave of disaster. We love the Internet, we love being on it and we love using it. Why then, do we have to be concerned with the modern use of the Internet?
It is because some of the Internet users have little knowledge or practical tips to stay Smart on the Internet or because some of the people in cyberspace completely disregard simple principles in the use of the Internet. This is not a problem that we, as Internet users, should disregard. No! Consider the scenario below:
You enter the best library in town and find out that canny people have managed to stall the room with books that contain wrong information, others are republished versions of books that previously contained accurate accounts but this time with minor twists in the main facts. Still, you found other books that contain complete misinformation on a subject you know best.
To your biggest dismay, people are seriously reading these bad books, they love these books and even want to share their experience in the books with you! Days come, and these bad books still make their stay in the library increasing in number and gradually, the good books get replaced.
Weeks come, months arrive and years set in but the problem is still on the move. What happens in time? The best library in town will gradually fade away into the dark, replaced by a room full of junk. It will no longer be a library, as before.
The scenario above is the exact copy of what we are currently experiencing the information we see on the internet. The webspace is gradually changing from good to worst in terms of information and media publishing. Internet hoaxes, fake news, factual inaccuracies and complete misinformation are gradually taking over the internet.
As people for the web, we get worried about such issues but what are we doing about this erratic problem of information communication in cyberspace? If we leave this issue unsolved, in the nearest future, the ‘web space’ will not be an authentic source of accurate information.
While we fight for an open web, is it not of equal importance to fighting for a closed web? (A web that is exclusively made up of accurate and relevant information as well as honest people who will always collaborate to achieve positive results for humanity).
Yes, we all need an open and safe Web. But to achieve that, we as a people for the Web should put in place realistic practices in the use of the Internet; while we connect, explore and share.
