Tools that change the way we think

The internet and modern technology have greatly modified the proses in which we as a society gather and distribute information. Only a few decades ago all of our information was either in a form of literature or in oral traditions. With the internet we all thought we would be able to access all information quicker and more efficiently. In most cases this was seen to be true, however with modern algorithms acting as "gate keepers" the search engines that we use filter out information that the system believes we are not looking for. With many in our society relying upon the internet as our source for information we are blinding ourselves to vast amounts of information that exists outside of the WWW. For instance life stories from those around us such as our family members, friends, and even coworkers are likely to not exist on the internet. I myself am a member of the Drumand clan, a Scottish clan, which I never would have known even existed if neither my father or my grandfather told me that I was a member of the clan. Don't misunderstand my intent of this post, the internet is a great tool, but if we don't search in places other than the internet for our information we will become closed minded, never seeking out a better solution. If we don't carry on any of our oral heritage it will be forgotten.