Where to go for help
Three sources someone could to search for information are YouTube, Reddit, and forums. An example of a specific forum is TFW 2005. For all three sources, I don’t think it really matters how old the information is unless you are looking for things such as “current” information/products to make sure the products are still available. For instance, If I were looking for the ten best televisions of 2024, I would need that information to be current. However, If I needed to change the oil in a 2013 Ford truck, I wouldn’t care if the information was ten years old, because it’s still going to give the information on how to accomplish the task. With almost any source such as YouTube, Reddit, or forums, much of the information comes from random people’s knowledge and or experience. Now if one received their information from specific companies, .orgs, or .gov, then the information is probably coming from an authority on the subject. Unless someone gave out their credentials on a forum, YouTube, or Reddit, and those credentials were verifiable, then you could tell if that person was an authority on the matter. As far as gatekeeping mechanisms (censorship, editorial, channeling, security, localization, infrastructure, or regulation): Youtube does have a copyright system in place, Reddit has moderators which are kind of like security to make sure things don’t spiral out of control. When one uses YouTube as a resource, it isn’t in a written format, its a video so as long as the person explains the topic well its easy to follow. When it comes to Reddit or forums there are responses that are well written and those which are hard to understand; it all depends on the source itself. I will in the future and have in the past continue to use all three sources because they help me figure out issues with solutions.