THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICAL THINKING IN DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

The digital revolution has completely changed the way in which society is informed and communicated. Globalization and hyperlinking allow the “digital author” to reach an unlimited number of users. The popular online media, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, social networks and the social media offer a wide range of news and analyses on social topics. Information literacy and critical thinking skills are of a big importance for individuals in times of high prevalence of fake news, misinformation and pure lies in the digital environment. The article presents critical thinking and abilities to think creatively in digital era that we all live in. The critical thinking is the art to analyse, evaluate and predict the consequences of actions. It also helps to improve our worldview and can refine our thinking. The main idea is that critical thinking is a crucial skill nowadays because it trains minds to accept selectively information and choses only the right one. The problem with fake news is very important today and the ability to recognize the truth in the ocean of information should be trained. The authors describe the main characteristics of the critical and creative thinking and some strategies for applying of this type of thinking to problem-solving situations. It has been described how to structure an argument, judge the credibility of a source or make a decision. It will not be difficult to see how to do these things in many other contexts too. Everyone will be competitive if they develop their ability to come up with new ideas.