A current myth is the notion that because people get their infotainment from the Internet (many sources) rather than major news channels/organs (few sources) we are somehow magically more well-informed. Clueless use of the Internet and blind faith in its sources do not constitute critical thinking. There is no substitute for discernment and critical thought.
Here's an article by Antone Gonsalves, the Editor of InternetWeek...from internetweek.com. I can tell you that my students are fairly clueless as to how to search and discern wheat from chaff when they're researching and referencing their writing by using online sources.
...................
"
Fooling Ourselves
Research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project...shows that many of us are not as smart as we think.
The non-profit group found that only 38 percent of search-engine
users are aware of the distinction between paid and unpaid results, and only 1 in 6 can always tell which results are paid and which are not.
On the other hand, 92 percent of searchers in the Pew survey said
they were at least confident about their search abilities, with more
than half saying they were "very confident."
That's quite a contrast. This is the equivalent of being unaware of
the distinction between a newspaper advertising and a news story, or between a TV news program and an infomercial.
While I don't believe the study shows the majority of us are stupid, it does point to careless use of the Internet as a source of
information, and I can't help but wonder if this is an indicator of a
bigger problem. As the issues facing our nation increase in
complexity, we need to learn to search out facts that will help us
make intelligent decisions in our own lives and in the voting booth.
If we base our decisions on carelessly gathered information, then
it's likely we'll suffer in our personal lives and as a free nation.
"
........................
__________________
create evolution
Last edited by ARTelevision; 01-25-2005 at 06:33 AM..
|