Today, one can open the laptop, type in a website and find the latest information about almost anything they would like to know. Yet, at the same time, there are many people who do not know anything about a particular topic while others are aware of the topic inside and out…..WHAT IN THE WORRRLLDDD ?!!!!
Information today is free flowing and accessible by the click of a button. With this being said, because there is such an overflow of information, it is hard o absorb everything all at once. In regards to 10 years ago versus the present, I would argue that undergraduates today are more informed concerning specific issues but less informed overall. Why do I feel this way you ask???…Weeelllllllllllllllll, SINCE you asked……..The answer is simply because of the vast amount of information available. As I mentioned before, there is soooooo much information available that one does not have the time to be aware of it all. People now pick the topics that are most salient to them and learn all they can about that. 10 years ago, information didnt come as easily, so when something happened, mostly everyone was aware of the situation. For example, everyone is informed about major events, such as the earthquake in Haiti, as a result of agenda setting by the media. But, there are other minor events that are taking place of which many people are unaware. Back in the day, I believe that more people would be better informed about these “minor” issues because of the flow of information.
Basically, the point of the story is undergrads 10 years ago are more informed because the accessibility of information. Because information was not as readily accessible and the quantity was decreased, they were more aware of what they had come across. Now, undergrads tend to be more informed about SPECIFIC topics versus information as a whole.