What Does It Mean “To Learn” In The Internet Age?

Nowadays, communication represents the fundamental characteristic that distinguishes contemporary society and influences all its aspects and dimensions. The impact of communication on society has been amplified today by the advent of the Web. The Internet has become de facto, globally, and even in non-Western societies, thanks to the spread of PCs and smartphones, the primary tool for interaction and information sharing among people. The Internet has determined the end of the more traditional interpersonal and media communication. It has allowed the development of a human communication model marked by three central characteristics: continuous interaction, contingency, and instantaneousness. The Internet has effectively brought about new production and fruition of culture and new processes of reception, production circulation, and even socialization of communicative content. This article aims to identify and analyse the new communication scenarios in the Internet age and show their impact on contemporary education by considering these premises. To do so, hermeneutic, and historical-comparative methods will be mainly used. The study will conclude by showing an educational model useful to provide the guidelines for developing critical learning in the age of the Internet communication and social networks.