Once upon a time IT was a black box managed by introverted magicians who were kept out of sight if not out of mind in the back rooms and cupboards of an organisation. IT is still complex, in many ways it is much more complex than 20 years ago, there is certainly many less ‘user serviceable parts’. Conversely it is also exponentially easier to use, in the way a car is increasingly complex but easier to drive than ever, some even park themselves. My teenage daughters know nothing of the underlying file systems or programming logic that underlies a modern laptop, yet they use the technology and have a relationship with it, that is radically different to my experience of technology. This simplification in the use of IT and the explosion in communications and information it has spawned what has been referred to as the democratisation of information.
At the same time, experience in the US shows that today’s college students are loosing the ability to critically assess the credibility of information that is presented on the internet. It has been suggested that we may the moving from the information age into the age of miss-information. The internet has provided access to a wealth of information, I am always staggered (and greatly enjoy) what I can find. As most of it is un-curated or moderated I am also very wary of the validity of the information as there is no easy way to assess its credibility. There is a pressing need for a reality check on the information on the internet especially given the plethora of health and wealth advice. Maybe in the not too distant future we will see information ratings agencies springing up giving ratings on the credibility of each site in the same way that ‘made in Australia’ or ‘certified organic’ does today.
David Gwillim
david.gwillim@optusnet.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment