Age of Information

Our modern digital culture has led to some wonderful opportunities in research and learning. People are able to search any topic  in the world and likely find a few hits that discuss it. There are websites for dictionaries, movies, books, games, news, and so much more; apps for the same as well as time or money converters; newsletters via email or subscriptions; text updates, and much, much more. It is an age of information, and we are right in the middle of it.

When students prepare to write a research paper, they do not search through pages and pages of obscure research hidden in some library, but use a search database to find research that meets specific needs. This pic has been circulating recently:

We can research political issues and platforms with the click of a button as well as find all the information we need to vote. Updates are *immediately* posted regarding voting, storms, movies and more.

What do we gain from this digital download of information? Just that, information. It may not be necessarily vital to our survival to know if the story about an orphan in Mexico is true according to Snopes, but it's there. We have an overflow of information that is *expertly* categorized for any and all to access. We can learn more, more quickly - perhaps foregoing formal institutions completely - and become experts without stepping foot in a university. We can learn about anything we want and with only the click of a button.