Accept the ‘facts’? I think not.
Have you ever heard of Good Magazine? I haven’t but they have an impressive enough looking website, so they MUST be reputable, right?
I always keep an eye on Viral Video Chart to keep an eye on what the more popular videos are. A video released by Good Magazine is currently at the top of the charts which relates some stats about internet and porn. It’s pretty racy and not work safe for anybody working in a school environment. If want to watch it, you can find it here.
The reason that I mention the video is because it lists quite a few statistics. Bold statements like “25% of all search engine requests are for porn.” Or “35% of all internet downloads are pornographic in nature.” Or “Sex is the most searched word on the interenet.”
Honestly, I didn’t even question any of their numbers while watching the video because I figured there’d be a long list at the end detailing where they got their numbers from. Guess what? I was way wrong. At the end, the footnotes (written on the models foot no less) only contained three sites. I’ll quote it verbatim. “MSNBC.com TopTenReviews.com Alexa.com”
Can you believe that? Might as well just say, “Statistics were found by searching on Google” or “Figures determined by asking people”. I went to Good Magazine to find the original video and couldn’t find any more information about their sources there. I went to TopTenReviews.com as well, and discovered that it’s a site that basically reviews things like DVD’s, online services, and other such things. What that has to do with any sort of research is beyond me. So I went to check other stats of theirs. Between looking up what words were searched for on Google the most and browsing Alexa, barely any of their numbers seemed to add up.
My point? It’s easy to make up numbers and people seem to just take them for granted. It’s more important than ever that we teach our students to question so called ‘facts’ and to verify information for themselves, whether the source is Wikipedia, Good Magazine, or even Britannica. Heck, the last time somebody told me that the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, I checked it with three independent sites! Now more than ever, you’ve got to do your homework.
Oh yeah, and if you do put any stats in a presentation or video… Don’t forget to cite your sources.
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I struggle with the same issue at my school. The kids resist putting sources into their presentations, even if it is part of their assessment.
Erica
5/15/2007
I can’t help but think of this wisecrack:
“At least 51% of the population is in the majority. … but not for long.”
But seriously, this is some good food for thought. Most people will just hear a statistic and assume that the person giving it got the info from a reputable source. Then they pass it on, etc.
The word-of-mouth spread of the false data eventually ends up getting disproved on Mythbusters with the use of some high explosives and the occasional personal injury.
Aaron Smith
5/15/2007
Steve, wonderful example of drilling down to get the data! Too bad we couldn’t use this in our classrooms! I can only imagine if Karl Fisch had envisioned his viral “Did You Know” in this fashion! ;-D
Jane Perzyk
5/15/2007
@Jane – There’s no question the video is visually effective. I wonder if they thought that people would be so wrapped up in the delivery that they could just make up any darn facts they wanted. While I wouldn’t suggest using that exact technique in the classroom, it does bring up a good point. Why restrict yourself to PowerPoint? One of my favorite websites right now is simple, and yet an incredibly innovative way to promote a book.
And you can use that one in the classroom!
Steve Dembo
5/15/2007
Hey Steve-
As you know, at least 95% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Darren Draper
5/15/2007
The stats from TopTenreviews can be found on one of their article pages.
http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html
here is a link to some of their stats around the world
http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/porn-stats-around-world.html
At the end of the article they also list a compilation of their stats as well as through out the article.
Sources:
Statistics are compiled from the credible sources mentioned. In reality, statistics are hard to ascertain and may be estimated by local and regional worldwide sources.
ABC, Associated Press, AsiaMedia, AVN, BBC, CATW, U.S. Census, Central Intelligence Agency, China Daily, Chosen.com, Comscore Media Metrix, Crimes Against Children, Eros, Forbes, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Free Speech Coalition, Google, Harris Interactive, Hitwise, Hoover’s, Japan Inc., Japan Review, Juniper Research, Kagan Research, ICMEC, Jan LaRue, The Miami Herald, MSN, Nielsen/NetRatings, The New York Times, Nordic Institute, PhysOrg.com, PornStudies, Pravda, Sarmatian Review, SEC filings, Secure Computing Corp., SMH, TopTenREVIEWS, Trellian, WICAT, Yahoo!, XBIZ
Casey Woods
6/5/2007
Amazing blog you have here, i’m sure this can attract lots of readers over the net for the cool write up. Keep it up
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