Is there anything you can’t google these days? (Some of you may even be tempted to Information Overload: Yet Still Foolish? google that to find out!) An online ad I came across recently read ‘google yourself…you might be shocked at the results.’ It is undeniable that we are living in an age where there is no dearth of information. If you carry a smartphone (and who doesn’t?) you have the Internet in your pocket!
Anytime, anywhere, we seem to have the world at our fingertips. A recent survey conducted in the United States asked people what their number one concern was when they walked into a public place like a restaurant, airport, shopping mall, etc. Apparently, 10 years ago, the most popular response was ‘Are there clean restrooms’? But in 2016…‘Is there free Wi-Fi?’ I chuckled when I read that, only to sheepishly admit to myself, that I too, have often thought the same thing!
Now there’s nothing wrong with having easy access to so much information, whether through popular search engines, web pages, or social media. The ‘online world’ has opened up more possibilities than we ever dreamed possible, especially in relation to education and work. It allows us to know what is going on outside ‘our little bubble’, and in the process, can promote cultural, political, social, and religious awareness.
A couple of months ago, my family and I took a trip to a foreign country (our first time to this particular region) and before we left, I was able to look up detailed information regarding transportation, food, language, and customs of the region, which helped us tremendously when we arrived there. Thanks to YouTube and TripAdvisor, I was even able to see what the neighborhood surrounding our hotel looked like and was actually able to recognize it while we were in our taxi!
However, what’s ironic is that all this information isn’t necessarily making us smarter or making this world a better place. How do we know? Turn on the evening news or look at any major news website. Why is that mass murders, racial tensions, religious persecution, economic instability, etc., all seem to be on the rise?
Just when we think we’ve witnessed human beings commit the most atrocious acts, the next day we wake up to headlines that make the previous day’s acts pale in comparison. How did our world end up like this? Is it because we don’t have enough information? I don’t think so. I believe it’s because we have lacked wisdom in how to evaluate and use all the information at our disposal. How can we exhibit wisdom when it comes to the plethora of information available to us?
Some suggestions/guidelines I have found useful are:
The availability and quantity of information we have does not necessarily guarantee the quality of that information. The Internet has made everyone, it seems, an expert! But do we carefully consider the credentials (education/experience) of the person or group posting the information before accepting it as truth?
Just because I have a blog or homepage/website, does not make me an authority or expert on everything under the sun. There’s nothing wrong in expressing our opinion. The problem comes when we assume that our opinion is just as valuable as everyone else’s, simply because we have an avenue to express it. I might get hundreds or even thousands of hits on my blog every month.
That doesn’t necessarily prove the information posted there is reliable or applicable to everyone in every situation. There are numerous websites that talk about medical issues, politics, family matters, etc. How many people blindly trust the information or advice on these sites, even though the writer of the content may have no formal education or experience in relation to the topic they are writing about?
Just because the webpage is aesthetically pleasing, people think it is reliable. Just because the information is available or ‘out there’, doesn’t mean that it is appropriate for everyone to have access to it. Sometimes it is scary what young children know or think they know, just because of the prevalence of technology in their lives.
But just because a child knows how to use a computer or iPad, does that mean the child is ready to handle all the information that can be found via those gadgets? I don’t think so. For example, what if a child were to come across a legitimate news site that contains graphic descriptions of violent acts/crimes or a legitimate medical site that talks of sexual health issues?
We must be discerning what we expose our children to. Sometimes the inappropriate information shows up in the most ‘innocent’ places – like in a YouTube commercial before Sesame Street! All of us who use the Internet know how easy it is to ‘stumble’ upon something we weren’t necessarily looking for; many times it will find us before we find it!
Sometimes, the information we need may have to be accessed ‘offline.’ I’m talking about those ancient objects called…books. Whenever I tell my students they have to go to the library and actually look up a book on the topic, some of them act as if I’m asking them to search for dinosaur fossils! There is still much value to the print medium, and depending on the context, that may be where we have to go.
I confess that I (along with many others) would rather read something online than in a book. More and more e-books are becoming available. There’s nothing wrong with that, except when it develops in us an attitude that unless something is available online, it’s not worth reading. That’s unhealthy. Even children as young as two or three years can be seen operating technology now.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but does it come at the expense of even them, at such a young age, not knowing how to have fun unless a ‘device’ is involved? What about more serious issues like health? Some people think they no longer need an actual doctor’s opinion because they found some health advice online!
Good information in the hands of the wrong people leads to disastrous consequences. I’m not necessarily talking about terrorists or serial killers who use the information available on the Internet to achieve their ends. I’m talking about ordinary people like us who use avenues like social media to slander others or simply promote ourselves or our selfish ambitions.
It is amazing the number of websites or social media pages there are that exist simply for the purpose of putting down or destroying other people and their reputations. There have even been cases of people being stalked based on information available on Facebook or child predators who take photographs innocently posted on social media, but use them for their various perversions.
Information by itself, without the wisdom to properly apply that information, is useless. We should be thankful for all the information we have access to. But the question is, do we have the wisdom needed to make the best use of that information? Do we have an objective standard of truth that clearly establishes right and wrong, or good and evil, by which we are measuring our information and its application?
Or is it just a ‘free for all’ where everyone is left to decide, based on our own whims and fancies? Let’s hope that we won’t go down in history as the generation that had the most information available to them, yet, was the most foolish!
