Young people today are bombarded with information. Aside
from traditional sources such as newspapers, television, and
the radio, they are inundated with a nearly continuous stream of
data from electronic media. They send and receive e-mails and
instant messages, read and write online “blogs,” participate in chat
rooms and forums, and surf theWeb for hours. This trend is likely
to continue. As Patricia Senn Breivik, the former dean of university
libraries atWayne State University in Detroit, has stated, “Information
overload will only increase in the future. By 2020, for
example, the available body of information is expected to double
every 73 days! How will these students find the information
they need in this coming tidal wave of information?”
Ironically, this overabundance of information can actually impede
efforts to understand complex issues. Whether the topic
is abortion, the death penalty, gay rights, or obesity, the deluge
of fact and opinion that floods the print and electronic media is
overwhelming. The news media report the results of polls and
studies that contradict one another. Cable news shows, talk radio
programs, and newspaper editorials promote narrow viewpoints
and omit facts that challenge their own political biases.
The World Wide Web is an electronic minefield where legitimate
scholars compete with the postings of ordinary citizens
who may or may not be well-informed or capable of reasoned argument.
At times, strongly worded testimonials and opinion
pieces both in print and electronic media are presented as factual
accounts.