I had the same experience when being taught internet and research skills. Often in school I was encouraged to read vertically, essentially always staying on one page. Because this was so heavily encouraged, I never recognized the harm in not validating the source outside of the page. I also never recognized the benefits of lateral reading before reading about and applying it.

While lateral reading can be a little overwhelming at first, it has been extremely beneficial for my writing. As Caulfield describes it, lateral reading definitely helps me in getting a lay of the land and understanding what it is I’m truly looking at.

Often we think of just the content being presented and if it sounds “smart” or “look professional.” Before I never considered the website and separate bits of information as their own artifacts needing outside validation. The visualization of the internet as a web also helped me lots when it came to recognizing truly how helpful lateral reading can be.