I’ve only ever done research using a computer – the computer tells me where the books are in the library; the computer tells me where the online articles are; the computer tells me which school has the book(s) I need tomorrow; the computer tells me that Amazon is cheaper than the campus bookstore; and, when the computer fails to tell me anything, the librarian (often a female) tortures the World Wide Web into submission. Once I have the information, the knowledge, regardless of where it was retrieved from, my professors help me piece it together. I do remember, though, using an encyclopedia in primary school, and reading through the dictionary so I could “sound smart” during my second grade class discussions. But that was only because I didn’t have access to a computer until I was in the 8th grade, and then I don’t recall having access to one at home until maybe high school, and I didn’t have my first personal laptop until I was a freshman/sophomore in college (that was 9-10 years ago). There’s something about being able to be comfortable at home with a cup of coffee while you do your research, and I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom – us youngins aren’t losing out because we didn’t have to walk 5 miles in the snow to get an education; perhaps we take it for granted that information is at our finger tips, but hasn’t that been the goal since the creation of mankind? Wasn’t that the plight of Adam and Eve – a hunger for knowledge that surpasses all limitations?

Regardless, I do think it’s pertinent that students are taught how to flesh out this knowledge – we can’t believe everything we see, read, hear, or even feel. I can’t say how many times I’ve called someone an idiot on Facebook because they posted a satirical piece and started a war between fools. Look up your sources people. Perhaps that’s the potential pitfall of the World Wide Web and access to everyone’s thoughts and feelings at all times: no one knows what’s true anymore, no one critically thinks about what they’re reading before they hit the share button, no one considers the counterargument before hitting the paste button. We share knowledge like it’s sloppy seconds, with no will regard for where that knowledge originated, who thought that, who said that, why and how did they come to this conclusion. It’s all just hand-me-downs now.