The Ethics of the Click: Users and Digital Information in the Internet Age

More and more information seekers are turning to the World Wide Web as a source of ready and authoritative information. Many of these Internet users do not fully understand the new information environment in which they seek information and how it differs from the print information environment. Lured by the easy click, seduced by colourful Web sites, and convinced that the number of items they can find through Internet search engines (e.g., AltaVista, HotBot etc.), these information seekers believe that up-to-date quality information is free and only a dial tone and a click away. This paper examines the changing information environment from the standpoint of information providers and looks at the hidden agendas and values that conflict with the concept of cheap, easy-to-get, comprehensive, accurate information.