CNN.com's Tech page recently posted an article entitled, "In today's warp-speed world, online missteps spread faster than ever," which I recommend for reader's consideration. It makes the point that the various Web media can be used for rapidly disseminating misinformation that can sometimes be hurtful. The Web has created a hunger for instant news, instant contact, and instant involvement. Haste easily makes waste, and in the world of the Web once the cat is out of the bag it can spread at viral speeds. Sometimes, a person simply acts hastily and unwisely, and sometimes a person or agency spreads lies deliberately. It turns out, for example, that the story about a banker who supposedly gave a 1% tip to a server and wrote a derogatory message on his receipt is not true. It is a hoax. Still, if you google the story you will find the uncorrected story all over the Web.It's a word to the wise for all of us who use the Web to communicate and rely on it as a source of information. It really is like a knife. It is useful and not safe all at the same time. The thing is that often enough it is more like a dull knife than a sharp one—more likely to cause cuts and to leave jagged wounds.
