Are scanning minds dangerous minds, or merely suspicious minds?: harnessing the net generation's ability to scan

Abstract

'Why would I go to the library if I can get all I need from the web?' This question should sound familiar to anyone teaching media studies in a tertiary institution today, and it is becoming an increasingly common question. It is also a question that typifies what has been called the Net Generation, and at the same time raises important questions about the way we teach this generation, particularly when it comes to media education. No longer can we assume that students will actually take the time to read the required readings that we have so painstakingly put together, because it is simply not their way of approaching or engaging with information. The concept of scanning sums it up beautifully: they scan for information, rather than search for specific texts to be engaged with in depth... In short, they develop scanning minds.