Info-lust is a word that has been floating around the web for quite a while, but it is usually spelled "Infolust". I have used it for years along with infohog. It basically describes those of us who seem to be unable to get enough information about almost everything. And, the WWW seems to have it all, or very close to it all. And, the quality provided is everything from fluff, all the way to scholarly articles. A little something for everyone. But the number of people "searching" has been growing exponentially.
In the majority are the people who are looking for the best, the cheapest, the most trendy, and the very coolest of gadgets. So how do we search and what are the pitfalls? By far, if we are buying an item either online or in a store, we go to review sites for that kind of product. And, there are hundreds of sites that do nothing but reviews. But, it is sometimes difficult to know when the review is objective and when it is a sales promotion. Careful reading is really required to identify a product that sounds too good to be true. There is a lot of money to be made for endorsing products. So, read as many sites as possible to look for the downsides. We can also read customer reviews and they are generally a good indicator of product value. But again, watch out for planted information. Even social sites may mislead for any number of reasons.
It appears, and seems reasonable, that we spend time searching reviews based on product price. If a gadget is $20 we may not spend much time at all. An air conditioner may take days or weeks of investigation. And the problem will become more cloudy as more smart phone applications are introduced. Never has the term "caveat emptor" been so true. Not sure what that is? Wikipedia says it is "buyer beware"!
In the majority are the people who are looking for the best, the cheapest, the most trendy, and the very coolest of gadgets. So how do we search and what are the pitfalls? By far, if we are buying an item either online or in a store, we go to review sites for that kind of product. And, there are hundreds of sites that do nothing but reviews. But, it is sometimes difficult to know when the review is objective and when it is a sales promotion. Careful reading is really required to identify a product that sounds too good to be true. There is a lot of money to be made for endorsing products. So, read as many sites as possible to look for the downsides. We can also read customer reviews and they are generally a good indicator of product value. But again, watch out for planted information. Even social sites may mislead for any number of reasons.
It appears, and seems reasonable, that we spend time searching reviews based on product price. If a gadget is $20 we may not spend much time at all. An air conditioner may take days or weeks of investigation. And the problem will become more cloudy as more smart phone applications are introduced. Never has the term "caveat emptor" been so true. Not sure what that is? Wikipedia says it is "buyer beware"!
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