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dfishervan's picture

Doing the research

  In our discussion on “Doctor Google,” it was mentioned that we view those who utilize the internet in attempt to gain some insight on their ailments as dumb. I found our disdain towards these “Doctor Google” patients interesting when you take into consideration our biases. As a group of pre-med students, I understand why there is a tendency for us to look down on those seeking advice from the web as we believe doctors to be one of the highest authorities on health related issues. However, as science students, I would think that we would condone society’s use of “Doctor Google.” We are encouraged to use the internet for outside research prior to coming to class and applaud those classmates who utilized “Google Scholar” in order to enhance their understanding of a topic. As consumers, we are also taught to do our research before making a purchase (and by going to a doctor, we are making a medical purchase and buying into the doctor’s description). However, just because I support the idea of people using fairly reliable WebMD-esque sites, that does not mean I am in favor of replacing doctors with the internet. By replacing one professional authority figure with the internet, society will have to begin considering what real life authority figures should not be swapped out with internet resources. Just because online articles and lectures are available to students does not mean that society should do away with professors.

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