Before answering, let’s dwell a little on the meaning of the words in this question.
The Internet is a worldwide network that aims to interconnect computers, which allows access to various types of information.
It was created and developed in the United States as a means of communication during World War II, and from 1990 onwards it began to be used by the general population.
But really, have we found everything?!!!
Everything is a lot!
First, we need to distinguish the difference between data and information. The internet provides us with data, which are unique and objective facts, and may or may not be organized. The interpretation of the data generates the information in the human being’s head.
When a person manages to accumulate a lot of information about a subject, he builds knowledge.
The search criteria we use does not always direct us to the answers we would like to find.
This would be very simple if we were always sure that the subject we are researching corresponds to the data that the internet is providing us.
However, many times, for not knowing the descriptors (keywords) of a determined subject, the search engines give us wrong data about the chosen subject.
The current challenge for search engines is to make a more accurate analysis and provide more assertive data.
Despite the difficulties we face, it is possible to build knowledge from the Internet. For this, we need to take precautions that will help us extract the exact information!
In this way, it is necessary that we can clearly define the subject we want to research. Thus, the choice of only one word can direct us to ambiguous data, which will not help us reach our objective.
Next, you need to have criteria regarding the source of the data. Not every source is reliable. An informational article is different from an opinion article.
It is necessary to observe the origin of the information that we are accessing and use selection criteria that help us to distinguish reliable data from “Fake News”.
We know that not everything is available to everyone. Not all the content that exists on the internet is found by Google and other search engines that we usually use. What we find on the Internet is just the tip of a huge iceberg.
Every day an infinity of content is added to the Internet. Every year, new records are broken for data availability, in the format of videos, texts, images, among others. And that is already much more content than we can assimilate.
In these interactions on the internet, people leave their digital footprint as if it were a record, a mark. Once something is posted or shared, it can stay there forever. Understanding your digital footprint helps you choose and control what you leave online for others to find.
An important competency of digital intelligence is the ability to manage your footprints and knowing how to use technology in a way that contributes to a positive reputation both individually and professionally.
And now, maybe instead of asking if it’s possible to find everything on the internet, how about finding out if the internet knows everything about you?