Whether you’re trying to figure out which doctor would be the best fit for your family or what’s the most kid friendly restaurant around, you should always try to learn more from reputable sources to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible before making a decision. However, in a world where thousands of pages of (often contradictory) information are available at the click of a button, it can often feel more than a little overwhelming to try and sift out the wheat from the chaff.
Even with something as personal as starting a new diet and exercise plan, you’ve likely felt pulled in all directions by a mixture of advice from friends and family, what the internet has told you and your own gut feelings. It generally takes a bit of practice and a lot of trial and error to figure out what works, however here are some tips to hopefully ease your way into figuring out what pieces of information are trustworthy and are more likely to work.
Who Wrote It?
While it may sound like a simple matter, there’s actually a surprising amount of things that you should consider before automatically deciding if a source is trustworthy and reliable. Just because something is published in an official source of information like a newspaper or academic journal does not necessarily mean that you should immediately put your faith in it.
While this may not come naturally to some of us, it pays to carefully consider whether or not there is any ulterior motive hidden within an article or publication. While it is nigh impossible to find an article that is completely free of bias (us humans will always have our individual views, opinions and preferences), it is possible to try and find sources of information that try to be as objective as possible.
In academic journals, this is done through the process of peer-reviewing. However, for those of us who may not necessarily be trawling through (or even have access to) academic databases, a quick search online can often help you determine whether or not a news source has particularly strong political affiliations, the profile of the author who wrote the piece and what the general consensus is about a piece of information.
While this may seem like overkill, such an extra step can actually save you a lot of trouble further down the road.
Was It Recommended To You?
The power of word of mouth is often underestimated. Hearing information along the grapevine may not necessarily be the best way to collect information, but receiving a direct recommendation from a friend who you know has your best interest at heart can actually greatly help to lessen how much research you have to do.
On one hand, this may not be the best idea for things that are incredibly individualized like one’s healthcare plans, family’s needs and coping mechanisms, this can actually be extremely helpful for finding goods and services that will likely work for you. For example, if you need a babysitter, you could spend hours trawling through Facebook pages and online advertisements, or if someone who knows you well and whom you trust recommends their usual babysitter, it might be worth considering their suggestion.
That being said, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all good or service. What may have worked for someone else may not necessarily work for you and your family. But as long as they have your best interest at heart, don’t have any ulterior motives and you know that it’s something that you can easily change if it doesn’t work out, there shouldn’t be too much harm done trying their recommendation on for size.
Will It Work For Your Specific Situation?
No individual or family situation is completely identical, however with the power of social media and online forums, it is possible to find people who may have gone through similar things as yourself. While many don’t consider online discussion forums to be the pinnacle of trustworthy pieces of information, we also cannot deny that such forums provide a community for people from all walks of life to discuss similar issues.
If all the information you’ve received so far seems to be pulling you in many different directions, it may be worth considering posting your plight onto an online forum. While many of us may perceive the internet to be a wild west where anything and everything can be said without any consequences, many internet forum spaces usually have moderators available and generally require participants to have a certain level of proof to back up their claims. Furthermore, helpful comments can also be upvoted by the users to show that it was helpful to a significant number of people.
While many of us may balk at the idea of receiving advice from what is essentially a stranger, it may not be a horrible idea to sometimes get the opinion of unbiased third parties.
Ultimately, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you are the one who knows your situation best. Whether you choose to go down a google rabbit hole or take the advice of those near and dear to you, ultimately what is important is that your decision makes you comfortable and that it will suit your individual needs.
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