Fact, as we all know, is when something has been proven without doubt, or something that has been agreed upon. For example it is a fact that a giraffe neck and a human neck have the same number of vertebrae, that being seven. A story may be written about a man who rode a giraffe on the moon, both wearing neckties, and this would be a fictional tale. If I were to explain about how a giraffe got its long neck and referenced evolution, while this is generally believed as fact, might cause an uproar by some who consider it only an opinion. This is one example of why there is a shadowy area between fact and fiction.

Suppose I was going to talk to you today about cat food. I might say that it is a fact that by-products are harmful to cats. Then I would likely explain that cat foods containing by-products are not quality foods. This is based on my education and experience, but somebody else might say my points were opinion based, not factual. Again we have entered that shadowy area.

Because many things are not 100% fact it is so easy for somebody to sneak in an argument that a point is opinion based.

What makes something true? I am going to tell you three true stories to illustrate this point.

In 2007 a survey of 10,000 people in New York city were asked if they would give up their technology for one year (cell phones, computers, etc.) in exchange for $1000. Not one person agreed. The New York Times interviewed several of the people surveyed and they all verified the truth of their answers. The link to the study results is here.

Another true story from the same year, 2007, also in New York, a man Ronald Hall was talking on his cell phone at the same time as using a laptop computer, and while driving in his car. He did it to prove that driving while using these devices was safe, to attract viewers he did this little stunt naked. He had a webcam with a live feed to the Internet. Thousands of people tuned in although his experiment was short lived, he got arrested after one week. Still he had many fans and witnesses to his test.

The last true story took place in London, back in 1958. Mr Brian Smithe invented the first “cell phone” although it was not called that at the time. He worked for a large telephone line company and as such they owned any rights to anything he invented. While in production he tested his phone with family and friends, and roughly 20 such phones existed. The technology they used was certainly different than todays, but the phones were even smaller than the first cell phones we knew. Thousands of witnesses saw the phones and used them, but the company he worked for refused to develop them and eventually confiscated all the phones and schematics. The ideas died with Mr Smithe in 1978, but many people from that time are still alive and remember the early invention and testify to the truth of this story.

Back on track to the article at hand…

photo by author

Fact, fiction, or shadow?

None of these true stories happened, as you know if you clicked on the referenced link. Just because somebody says something is true does not mean it is. Sure they could have been true, some were a bit more far fetched than others, but because I made the point of telling you they were true, adding false witnesses, and even names and possible reference links it made the stories more believable.

For every link created for the purpose of sharing information, some are created purely for financial gain of the writer. Since some writers use programs where they are paid per view or per click on their ads they churn out several sites a day. They don’t care about facts and often write on subjects they know nothing about but those that will get views. Some even run popular foreign language sites through translators and republish, unaware that errors in translation have occurred, but since they are not familiar with the subject they cannot spot obvious errors in information.

The Internet is loaded with Fact, Fiction and plenty of shadowy areas, opinions and lies. Remember just because somebody said something is true does not mean it is, and opinions are usually based on peoples past experiences and education, sometimes opinion and fact intermingle to create an educated fact. If you are looking up some really important information, double check the facts, and don’t solely rely on the Internet.

By the way, I do get paid for writing here, although it’s less than a tenth of a cent per click, if you want to know how I spend my Internet earnings, click here.

If you want to write for the Internet, here is a guide on what NOT to do!

If you would like to read my educated opinion on cat food, click here.