We librarians do a lot of searching online, so here’s an occupational hazard that you may not be ready for: you are not as smart as you think you are…but, our students aren’t either.
This article,Internet Searches May Make You Think You’re Smarter Than You Are, refers to a study that shows that when we search online, we think we have learned more than we actually have. The study had subjects search the Internet and then answer questions on what they searched. It didn’t matter which search engine was used, subjects were unable to answer the questions properly.
While the knowledge may be out there on the Web, it’s not in our heads. This makes for interesting, if slightly scary reading!
