Searching Out Loud: When Credibility Has Its Say
In public life today, power is measured by degrees of being public. But not all influence is for sale. Not all trust systems need to run on faith alone.
Investigators who do their searching out loud call their own shots and share them with their case teams. It is both the why and the what of achieving digital independence; a goal based on trust in the evidence, not the evidence provider — no matter how loudly they announce themselves.
We’ve become increasingly dependent on a shrinking number of digital platforms for our connection to others and understanding of the world, filtered through the massive profiling efforts of the digital giants.
Add disinformation campaigns that amplify polarization and you’ve got one toxic brew of search results. They threaten the ability of curious and skeptical minds to seek their own path of knowledge discovery and draw their own conclusions.
Searching Out Loud safeguards our research practices against a virtual world increasingly hostile to notions of independence and the perspective-taking it requires.
Here are ten reasons why Searching Out Loud (“SOL”) may be for you:
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- The first step towards searching out loud is acknowledging the silence.
Admitting the Obvious: We’re Searching in Silence - The second step is considering how we got here.
Psst… Nobody Likes to Search - Next we lace-up our project boots, clearing the way for evidence-based discovery.
Knowledge-ABLED: Taking Action Through Learning - In Unit Two, we summon the search engine from within.
In the Driver’s Seat: Overriding Auto Search - Our tool selection choices help to reveal the blindspots of machine learning.
The Black Box of Search - The sourcing practices in Unit Three keeps us afloat the information rapids.
Source Fluency: Gateway to Hitting-the-Ground Running - We calibrate our BS detectors for navigating the misinformation campaigns to follow.
Taking the Digital Literacy Smell Test - Unit Four connects the book’s frameworks, going to the core motive of information providers.
Through the Lens of Why - This connection reveals the perspective-taking of providers and recipients alike.
Critical Thinking Frameworks (From Any Perspective) - Unit Five prepares us for our presentations to stakeholders, helping us measure expectations against resources.
Information Surplus? Meet Knowledge Deficit!
- The first step towards searching out loud is acknowledging the silence.