How much of what we see on the Internet is original and reliable? Is everything published on the Internet is ‘true’? Are we heading towards a time when we shall cease to create original work?
Internet, no doubt, has instant answer to any question that we may have. We no longer have to carry around our reference books or visit dingy libraries. Almost anything is a ‘click’ away on the Internet. Internet is a great source of information. It is also a great source of mis-information. The fact that it is so easy to publish anything on the Internet makes it a great conduit of creativity and at the same time a lethal weapon of factual distortion. It’s for us to choose either to further our knowledge or to distort it for ‘fun’ or for some ulterior motives.
The ‘cut-and-paste’ practice is one such abuse of Internet that is becoming rampant among people, especially youngsters who find it easy to complete their work in a time-pressed study or work environment. Quoting others’ work has always been an admirable practice. But, lifting others’ work out of context and using the same without giving due credits is definitely unethical.
Is this trend leading to the loss of originality? I don't think so. Creating original work is the most satisfying urge of human mind. Spurred by a desire for instant recognitions, a majority of people may not heed to this urge. But, there will always be a minority of people who would dare to walk on the un-trodden path, despite all the risks and difficulties. The world would continue to get intellectually richer as a result. Yes, we have to be extra careful in using ‘any’ information retrieved from the Internet or for that matter from any other reference. We have to increasingly employ our own thinking faculty to sift ‘facts’ from the ‘lies’. But, no, so long as a thinking human mind is around, originality and creativity will never be lost. I have full faith in this.
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