The internet has revolutionized our ability, and our student's ability, to search for and access information. We now have an unbridled capacity to access information in a more effective and efficient manner than ever before. The ability to search for and access a diverse set of viewpoints has improved, as has the capacity to research about topics in an in-depth manner. The improvements in access and research abilities aside, issues remain about ensuring the information we, and our students receive, remains salient. One of our most pressing tasks as instructors is to ensure our students learn to decipher valid and accurate information from opinions masquerading as legitimate research.

Another possible problem, however, is how our students are using the internet to access information. National Public Radio has a program entitled Intelligence Squared, which, according to its tagline, seeks to bring "Oxford style debating to America". The premise of the program is to have two teams debate a given issue in which one team argues for the motion, the other team argues against the motion, and the audience decides the winner based on the results of a pre-debated vote and a post-debate vote. The winner is decided based on the moment of the voters, rather than the team that achieve a majority opinion. One of the recent programs brought up the motion that "the internet is closing our minds politically".

The side arguing for the motion stipulated that people do not use the search qualities of the internet to gain diverse opinions, but rather search of sources that agree with their personal opinions. Their argument was the internet is not creating connections between diverse people, but rather serving as a causation of confirmation bias. The team arguing against the motion indicated internet users are seeking out diverse opinions, making connections to a diverse population sets, and finding new areas of information and opinions.

I personally think that both premises are incorrect, or at least lacking. My proposition is the internet intensifies these preordained attributes. Those who have a predisposition toward pursuing sources of information that support their viewpoint, are able to find more sources that share common interests. Conversely, those who have an orientation toward seeking a diverse array of opinions are able to access an even greater amount of diverse resources.

There are benefits and negatives to both sides presented in the Intelligence Squared internet information debate, and we, as faculty need to help our students overcome their predispositions toward confirmation bias or overly-broad research proclivities. For those students who seek confirmation of their opinions, we should encourage them to find new, and divergence, sources of information to engender a more holistic understanding of the issues they encounter. We should encourage students who intrinsically gravitate toward seeking diverse sources to research issues more in-depth rather than broadly. Essentially the issue is balancing diversity and thoroughness. We need to help our student learn there is value in both seeking diverse sources of information, while drilling down into such sources. By encouraging student to research in a diverse and in-depth manner, I believe we can help assuage the issues of validity and accuracy. 

Thanks,

Eric

Listen to the episode:

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/23/151037080/is-the-internet-closing-our-minds-politically