Discuss how the design, function and content of web pages influence the meaning and value of information.
Word Count: 1800
Web sites are swiftly becoming, and in some cases are already, the preferred media choice for information search, company presentation, shopping, education, gaming, socialising, and much more. In this day and age, where visual symbols play an increasingly important role in our day to day lives, the design, content, and function of web pages, play a pivotal part in influencing the meaning and value of information. The meaning and value of information can be worked out by a few simple questions; who is the author of this information? Who is the supplier? Why is it provided/what is its purpose? Who are the intended audience? What is the source? And finally, how current and accurate is it? The last two questions are probably the most relevant when it comes to the value, as if it were a secondary, out-dated, and inaccurate source, it would not be very valuable. The terms design, function, and content must be looked at and defined to answer this question. Design of a web page mainly refers to how the page looks to the user and the layout of it as well. Whereas function is all about how the website works, whether it is easy or not for the user to navigate around the site or whether or not links and images work on the site. Finally, content is the text, images and other elements that make up the core of the web page. In this essay we will be looking at issues ranging from the opportunities the web provides us with to present information, to the challenges that are created when information is displayed online. In addition to this, we will also be looking at issues such as how we are able to establish the quality of our information as well as how the presentation and design of web pages influence the value of our information in particular.
The web provides us with many