Internet Search Tools Essay Sample

There are many search tools available on the internet and, interestingly, different tools bring up different results. Two search engines that particularly show this contrast are Google and EBSCO's Academic Search Premier database. While the results found from the EBSCO database are undoubtedly more accurate and verifiable, some of the results found by Google are more accessible and user friendly for a wider audience.
When using Google to search for “privacy and security on the internet,” a variety of different websites are returned as results. Many of them are not useful as reliable sources of information. Interestingly, Wikipedia took up several of the top spots in the results. As is common knowledge, Wikipedia cannot be relied on as a source of information, as it is an open database to which anyone can contribute. Therefore, authority, accuracy, validity and verifiability are all absent when visiting sites such as this one.
When searching for internet privacy and security via Google, some of the top results are the websites of companies who are selling internet protection software. They offer information about the subject and then explain why the reader should purchase their product. Clearly, this information is biased towards their own company. Therefore, objectivity is absent, meaning that such websites cannot be relied upon to deliver accurate, valid information.
Despite the presence of Wikipedia, and companies selling security software, there was also a reasonable amount of useful information available via the Google search. As I was looking for information on internet privacy and security, as a general consumer and user of the internet, I was looking for information that was accessible, useful, and that held my interest. This was easy to find. However, some such information was on blog sites and forums which are, clearly, not valuable as reliable and accurate sources.
Using EBSCO's Academic Search Premier database to search for “privacy and security on the internet” produced very different results to those of Google. The articles available on this database are all valid, relevant, and verifiable. This is because it is plain to see who wrote each article, the date on which it was published, and any sources they used are listed. Therefore, it is much easier to rely on such articles to be reliable and objective. Also, listing the date of publication as a matter of course is useful in establishing how recent and, therefore, how relevant the information is. Sources found as a result of the Google search often did not contain dates, making it difficult to assess how up to date they were.
While articles found via the academic database were more verifiable and valid than those found via Google, they offered a different reading experience altogether. Articles on the database are designed to be read by academics and, therefore, they are very heavy in text. The language is of a higher level than many websites designed for the general public and, therefore, reading them requires more concentration. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a student, for many members of the public who wish to learn more about internet safety and security, such articles may be off-putting and undesirable.
Google and the EBSCO's Academic Search Premier database bring up very different results for the same keywords entered in the search. While it is undeniable that the academic database delivers results which are superior to Google in terms of accuracy, validity and verifiability, the content of such sources is less user friendly for the general public.