i was browsing the stingy scholar blog and came across this video that really highlights the incredible change over the past few years in how we distribute information. what does the distribution of knowledge look like today? it's no longer exclusive to the higher learning institutions, but has been handed down (or stolen) by us.. the people. the wealth of knowledge (and garbage) online is infinite, and access to all of this requires only a connection (guidance could also be useful too).
it seems that because so much knowledge is so readily available (for those who can get online), i feel overwhelmed with it all. you could read books or order books, or have them read to you; you could watch others videos or upload your own videos to share; you can call up someone in another country for free on skype or take a virtual tour of that country; you can watch a lecture online, or even teach English to a class online; there seems to be so many options that you really only have to know where to look. i wonder if the traditional ideas of credible sources will change/have changed? can a blog be cited as a reliable source of knowledge? or wikipedia or other open source projects?..
enjoy the video.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
the distribution of knowledge
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3 comments:
Funny, I started to ask this question a while ago... You know what they say about great minds... ;)
My own thoughts are that electronic communication will undoubtedly revolutionize scholarly pursuits. I don't think that blogs in their current form will replace things like academic journals as respectable sources, but I think that they can be set up in such a manner that they foster high quality and accountability. An excellent example of this is the Immanent Frame.
Wow. that's awesome and scary. I think I need to watch it again...
Wow, Chris. That's awesome. It's so crazy - we talked about this very subject in our communication classes in college. How the internet, how web 2.0 is changing everything. And I talk about it daily at my job as I talk to sales reps about what their webpage can do for my client. No longer do we just expect banner ads - we want microsites, blogs, case studies posted on homepages, e-blasts, interactive websites. And we're all attempting to wrestle with what web 2.0 really is all about - because I don't think people behind social media such as facebook, or flickr, or myspace, even know what they're starting, what they're changing. And the companies I work that, that I help advertise, struggle with this daily. How can they distribute knowledge as the "authorities" when their consumers are posting YouTube videos claiming the same exact thing?
This is too long - but you hit a button. I'm planning on passing this video around. Thanks for sharing!
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