Court Sees Internet Information As Less Credible

July 31, 2011 - PRLog -- (Ancaster, Canada)—The New York Supreme Appellate Court, in a case about Internet-based defamation, ruled that Google did not have to release information regarding an anonymous e-mailer who criticized Sandals Resorts for discriminatory hiring practices. The reason, in part: alleged defamatory remarks posted on the Internet are given less credence.

“The Internet has facilitated an explosion of information,” says Dr. Nick Bontis, author of “Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught.” “Because our lives are oversaturated with data, every day we struggle to know what is important and what is not, what is true and what is not.”

The judge in the case described the Internet as an environment where anything goes and where communications are freewheeling. Because of this environment, in the court’s unsubstantiated judgment, people see defamatory statements as opinions rather than fact.

According to Dr. Bontis, we have an insatiable thirst for all types of information whether it’s credible or not. Information is today’s addiction, and we hunger for the latest news, gossip, and trends. But we also want to express our own ideas and opinions. The Internet provides a place where these desires become reality.

“It’s not clear, as the court assumes, that we are adapting well to a world of information bombardment,” says Dr. Bontis. “For instance, many people simply do not read between the lines and do in fact believe what is written in the blogs, articles, and tweets they follow. That presents a major problem when opinion, bias, propaganda, and hidden agendas are sold as truth. The judges contend that we are learning information discernment. What I often see is just the opposite.”

Dr. Bontis describes a number of negative effects caused by today’s information onslaught, including:

* Growing incidences of defamation
* Companies and individuals spreading disinformation to impact rivals
* Anonymity and screen names becoming accepted standards
* More and more opinion sites passing themselves off as news sites
* Erroneous, questionable information flooding the Web
* Organizational failures due to information leaks and bottlenecks

“In this new era, knowledge is power,” says Dr. Bontis. “But we cannot mistake all information for knowledge. We must discern between real knowledge and junk. If we can do this, knowledge sharing becomes much easier. That’s the key point when considering information bombardment.”

In Dr. Bontis’ book, discernment is discussed in detail along with solutions to help deal with information bombardment, including tools that will be imperative in order to survive the World “Wild” Web.

About the author:
Dr. Nick Bontis was named a 2010 top five speaker worldwide for management and one of the world’s top management gurus of 2010, along with such luminaries as Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Michael Porter, and Jim Collins. He is an internationally sought-after management consultant and keynote speaker, hand-picked by the United Nations, the US Navy, Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, KPMG, Century 21, and others to help navigate the knowledge era. He is a popular TV and radio personality, a leading academic researcher, and an award-winning, tenured professor of strategic management at McMaster University. As one of the world’s most-cited authors in the fields of intellectual capital and knowledge management, he has amassed over a dozen prestigious teaching and research awards. He was recently recognized as a 3M National Teaching Fellow, an exclusive honor bestowed upon the top professors in the nation.

For more information, contact Dr. Bontis at nick@bontis.com or visit www.InformationBombardment.com.

“Information Bombardment: Rising Above the Digital Onslaught” is available on Amazon.com.