The question however, is if the knowledge gained on the internet is truly knowledge in the traditional sense. When I think of knowledge, I think of a little nodule of information or experience that resides in my brain and can be pulled into consciousness whenever it is relevant. If the internet is providing us with truth and justification whenever and wherever we want, it seems that we are moving into an environment where memorizing information is neither necessary nor valued. If I forget the name of a song but remember a few fragmented lyrics, all I need to do is type them into Google and presto! I not only have the name of the song but also everything I ever needed to know about it. We have successfully outsourced our memories and changed the way we recall information, but not without a price. It feels as though our knowledge from the internet loses some kind of intrinsic value because we find it immediately and it doesn’t originate in our brains. Can we call the knowledge our own when all we need to attain said knowledge is hit a few buttons on a keyboard?
Posted by Victoria Oestreich
2 comments:
I agree that the ease of use of Google has certainly changed our methods of gathering information forevermore. It seems now that at times we collect information much as one might collect bottles or commemorative spoons: little tidbits from various places than look pretty when placed upon a shelf.
I think, however, that one can still find places from which to gain knowledge on the internet. Take, for example, MIT's Open Courseware project- hundreds of video lectures on a wide range of subjects, from History to Calculus. I for one never would have done well in high school physics without the knowledge I gained from watching these videos. But then again, this wasn't an instantaneous event, as it took me the entire length of the videos (usually around an hour) to gain some understanding of the topic.
I think this conflict between knowledge and information is becoming more and more relevant as our collective presence on the internet increases.
Whether something is read online or in a book, whether the content is song lyrics or a periodical, as long as its contents are being read, experienced and retained, that is knowledge. A few keystrokes versus a few turns of pages will not change the ultimate matter in which knowledge is attained.
And the first search result needn't be the end of the actual search. Just like with a large textbook, each page can bring to one's attention tens more sources to pour into.
All that has changed is the media and perhaps the sitting position.
Post a Comment