Beware of the optimism of the Internet Age

In response to Rupert Wegerif's 'Applying dialogic theory to illuminate the relationship between literacy education and teaching thinking in the context of the Internet Age'

Abstract

The present article is written in response to Rupert Wegerif's recent discussion of the dialogic affordances of the Internet. While not trying to negate this dialogic potential, this contribution takes a rather more critical look at the multiplicity of voices present on the web, and argues that this multiplicity alone will not guarantee that our thinking becomes more dialogic. Rather, in order for this potential to be fulfilled, it is necessary to help users develop communicative and critical skills that will allow them to engage and interact effectively with the vast amount of knowledge made accessible on the Internet.