A new study overturns the common assumption that the ‘Google Generation' – youngsters born or brought up in the Internet age – is the most web-literate. The first ever virtual longitudinal study carried out by the CIBER research team at University College London claims that, although young people demonstrate an apparent ease and familiarity with computers, they rely heavily on search engines, view rather than read and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to assess the information that they find on the web.

You hear a lot of griping about the decline of critical thinking, but "view rather than read" is an interesting and apt criticism. As McLuhan might argue, it has more to do with the medium than the individuals in question. Interactivity and deep reflection are inversely correlated.

Pioneering research shows ‘Google Generation’ is a myth