I think the way it's used has drastically changed. When someone had a lot of information on hand you would go to the "smart guy/girl" and things would be assessed on a somewhat scientific level. That is unless you are picking the smartest person in the trailer park. But I digress.
Now everyone "thinks" they are smart because they have the information. It's how that smart person filtered through the information and interpreted the information that made them smart.
I'm showing up in flip flops and making scene