The only thing noobs need to worry about is remembering how the horsey moves😀.... just make solid moves and don't blunder pieces then once you got the general idea, pick a handful of openings and study those only. Don't try to learn a bunch at the same time and play long games so you have time to think and learn.
A Noob Question About Chess Openings
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Both, I think. Start by learning the basic principles of the opening and just try to find the best response to whatever moves your oponents play.
However, at the same time, it makes sense to try to begin your games in a consisent way. I recommend starting with 1.e4 as White and learning one response to e4 and one to d4 as Black. If you play the same lines all the time, you will learn them well. What you want to avoid is spending a lot of time learning many different openings.
I am curious, should a player focus on becoming proffecient at a specific opening(s) and specialize, or is it better to just know general opening principles and handle the situation as it comes?