Transcript

KATHARINE

Hello, and welcome to Week 5: Critical consumption. This week, you’ll be exploring your information landscape and thinking about what information sources are most relevant to you.

WENDY

It’s a chance to hone your searching skills, and also, to pick up a few tips about dealing with information overload.

KATHARINE

Yes, and information overload can be a real problem, can’t it? So we’ll be finding out what Manuela, Michael and John have been doing about it.

WENDY

The key message this week is the importance of developing a critical mindset towards both the information and the people that you encounter online.

KATHARINE

Yes, it’s all about knowing the right questions to ask.

WENDY

And not to get taken in by the opinion that is sometimes presented as fact.

KATHARINE

It’s not always black and white, is it? Take the example of energy and the environment. You’ll get very different views from an oil company to an online climate change activist.

WENDY

It’s a case of keeping your eyes open and knowing the right questions to ask of both the people and the information that you find online.

KATHARINE

Yes, and that’s very useful when it comes to both study and work.

By the way, did you see that abandoned submarine in the desert? I’ve seen a picture online, which I’m just going to check out.