The British Library recently released the results of a study which supports what a lot of us who use web-based applications in our teaching have noticed, namely that people are not necessarily any more or less web literate because of the year in which they were born. The study points to findings which indicate that the so-called “Google Generation” does not possess any special aptitude for internet research simply because of their age. The study concludes that it is important to teach critical thinking and analytical skills relating to conducting internet research instead of assuming that people in certain age groups naturally possess this kind of knowledge. In other words, a sense of familiarity with computers and internet applications does not simply translate into the level of information literacy that is often assumed of those who spend a lot of time online. For more on this study, click here.