Internet Research Results


Internet Research Results

As part of their research, students employ Web search engines like Yahoo, OpenText, and Lycos, entering the name of their subject-- in this case, the name of their chosen television shows. Unfortunately, I cannot say that net research is always fruitful for me and my students. What we find is that the quantity of information online is not a problem-- through search engines, we usually uncover at least some information about the chosen topics. However, our research results show that the quality of information is quite often problematic. My students expect to find editorial text like those out of our course readers which they can cite and negotiate in their writing. Instead, sites often contain information which does not critique the shows; rather, the site reiterates information about the show and often reinscribes its hegemonic entertainment status. My students quickly become concerned and even discouraged at the results they find.


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