C2 Reading Passage: Epistemological Shifts
C2 Reading Passage: Epistemological Shifts The Epistemological Shifts in the Digital Age The contemporary digital landscape has fundamentally altered the mechanisms through which knowledge is produced, validated, and disseminated. In the pre-digital paradigm, information was guarded by institutional gatekeepers—academics, editors, and traditional journalists—who subjected content to rigorous peer review and fact-checking protocols. This systemic filtration, while occasionally criticized for its inherent elitism and susceptibility to institutional bias, nevertheless provided a foundational bedrock of shared, verifiable truths that anchored public discourse. The democratization of internet access, however, dismantled these traditional hierarchies, precipitating an unprecedented decentralization of authority. While this shift initially promised a utopian liberation of information, it inadvertently fostered a fragme...