Just wanted to work out what it means to be literate in relation to the Internet. Is the use of the Internet the simple navigation through the abundance of information an indicative sign as to the literacy level of the user? Or is it the fact that any user, no matter how familiar, is using the Internet for any and all aspects of inquiry? I’m starting to believe that it is the combination of these two aspects. As one, inevitably, leads to the other, once a user is more familiar the frequency of use is increased; equally increased use will lead to knowledge in the manipulation of the medium. Aside from the overwhelming levels of online entertainment and shopping, the Internet is the single most accessible tool for self-educating without hours of research.
What happens in most academic circles is that no matter how much research is conducted through the Internet ultimately there will be a physical written source that will need to be accessed. I have a more entertaining exercise in mind however. Let us assume that the Internet is the super computer from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, It is therefore able to answer that unanswerable question of all "What is the meaning of life?", the answer may not be a simple one but somehow through a search an answer can be formed. Just have a try. Start at the basics: Google - a bit of a mix from the definition source to the inspiring and philosophical. NEXT. Yahoo, much the same really. Internet literacy here however requires a more in depth search one that probes the existing answers: Youtube, Answers, About, Searchgeek, Bing, Cuil, Mamma. All these are search engines and all are able to draw in on separate pieces of information to draw together an idea. I guess being Internet literate is not about the answer as much as it is about the search. Along the way you learn what is existentialism and how a collection of data can be organised in a mathematical and systematic format to tell you all kinds of things, even things about yourself. (Enter your birth date)
Hope you had a bit of fun. I was just hoping to remind us all (this includes myself) that there is more than just Google out there.
It's always good to remember that Google is not the internet, even if it is awfully convenient for most things.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm quite partial to that Cuil search engine. Never heard of it before.
And everybody loves YouTube!
And this is my second time using WolframAlpha and I think its growing on me. Without it, I may never have learnt that I share a birthday with Stephen Colbert!