Monday, September 7, 2009

Week #3: What are urban legends?

(Week 3: Sept 7-13/2009)

Goals, overview. There is a good deal of storytelling going on in the media. Some is deliberate, some is inadvertent and some happens just because information exchanges hands so many times that error and embellishment become part of the public narrative. The goal of this activity is to look at the tension that exists between the proliferation of what are often referred to as “urban legends” and those who seek to distinguish fact from fiction.

Activities. First let's lay a critical thinking foundation for considering what we read on the Internet - and elsewhere - in general terms. To do so, watch Alan Shermer's Baloney Detection kit, posted on Infosavvy's blog. Alan is director of the Skeptics Society.

Back to the issue of Urban legends - or suspected urban legends. They abound. Here are just a few:
  • The $600 hammer. Remember hearing about the military’s $600 hammer? We tended to believe the story was true because we have a bias about believing that government wastes money. But, it wasn’t true – or at least one source says it wasn’t. Read all about it.

  • Sarah Palin's SAT scores. Here’s another example of a possible urban legend that rippled through the web. During the era of Sarah Palin’s notoriety, a very convincing image of her rather low SAT scores began circulating on the web. However, at least one reader was convinced that he was seeing digital forgery. Read all about it.
Now it's your turn. Go to Snopes or another debunking site, perhaps factcheck.org, and spend an hour or so reading material and linked material until you find something that challenges a previously held opinion or “truth assumption” you had subscribed to.

Felix discussion. Go to our Felix forum and respond to the following question: Based on your activities this week, what do you think causes the wide discrepancies in "the truth" that proliferate throughout the web? Respond to this question, as well as at least three other posts from colleagues. Also, respond to two other posts from colleagues. Discussion concludes Saturday night.

Blog posting. Post on your blog, using the heading “Urban legends.” Post a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs about what you discovered about the nature of authenticity on the web. What are your “take-away” realizations as a result of this activity? As always, feel free to note any biases you suspect in the materials you used. Also, be vigilant about using visually differentiated text in your presentation. Blog updates need to be completed by Sunday evening.

Extra links and materials

* picture of man and large cat taken from Urban Legends
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