Do you think it’s possible the opposite is occurring?  We’re certainly able to acquire new information rapidly and serendipitously if the moment takes us.  What about our drastically decreased incentive to retain this information? Since we can get far more rapidly after all.

Also, through the same mechanisms we’re also exposing ourselves to massive amounts of non-knowledge (punditry, what our 600 friends did on the weekend, 140 character jokes) so if our capacity for knowledge has stayed similar there’s certainly a lot of other stuff that might be taking up space now.

I definitely think this type of knowledge discovery you’re talking about is totally awesome and a way better way for us to be.  Maybe general knowledge isn’t the outcome for most people though.  We’re getting way more equipped with other more useful things though.  Killer filtering systems, learning methodologies, idea synthsis etc.

Thoughts?

At varsity the Internet for me was a raw priority: It supplants varsity libraries because there is more access to material  not held there. I love libraries [and bookstores]  but it can only take you so far. Like you I spend a great deal researching all kinds of stuff about history, foreign policy and national security issues especially American. I have stacks of pdf files that could fill a container (I have to had dump a little of it). Having something in pdf is quite empowering for me as most are scholarly essays and journal articles.

I have gained a mature outlook from what I have discovered in the fields of interest, on the Internet. The other place I like is http://www.fishpond.co.nz they have a wishlist you can add to and from there wish away for the money (at last count have 413 titles so want to get).

As you mentioned in your post about going to University or not to go to University  - I believe the empowerment you get from the Internet is stripping the power of University. It will be a matter of time when others will except that we have learnt better by using the Internet. That’s so true of what’s happening to me since 2006, and what lecturers fail to understand.

I’m of two minds to this topic. I agree that the internet has opened up a wealth of learning, and learning in unique and exciting ways… IF you choose to access it (and I know plenty people who just don’t bother using the internet; and so suffer for it.)

But, I also think in a way we are devolving in intelligence because most people assume the knowledge is “out there on the web” so there is no need to retain what they learn. Another issue is that through online learning in the mentioned manner there is no gaurantee that:
a) you’re learning all you need to know about the subjectb) what you’re learning is actually correctc) that the information is still relevant

It takes a certain kind of mindset to be able to use the internet to learn, but also apply these questions to everything they do… and then to supplement their learnings with other things e.g. books, webinars, courses etc.

Let’s not forget how the digital age in general has opened up our ability to learn.

e.g. My library is massive. Historically if I wanted to have several books on the go, and take some to work with me, I’d have to “choose” which to take with me and then get annoyed if that wasn’t what I felt like reading later in the day. I love my Kindle because it gives me that flexibility. Technical books, scifi/fantasy, learning books etc. all at my finger tips, when I want it.

I’m willing to accept that there are benefits to an increased level of general knowledge, but I’m yet to be convinced that they outweigh the downsides of the distraction inherent in such ‘extreme serendipity’.

Culturally, in the West, at least, we’re well beyond the age of the ‘Generalist’ who knows a little about everything and depend in interdependent Specialists, so while a higher average level of ‘common’ knowledge via serendipity risks, IMO, the depth of knowledge of a specialist, thus putting them at a relative disadvantage.

Add to that, the unfiltered nature of the internet, and it’s very easy to get sidetracked down pathways of inaccurate, imprecise and even incorrect ‘general’ knowledge.

Good points and I do see where you’re coming from. My view as a student is that being led down these paths is so important because it broadens a worldview. But perhaps after some years I’ll be sick of getting dragged down these paths of information that is no longer important to me. Maybe an age thing?

I have to ask: why do we need to retain what we learn if it’s out there on the web? Perhaps accessing it on a “need-to-know” basis is much better and allows us to focus on what’s important right now?

I agree about people having a certain kind of mindset to learning online… Maybe that’s exactly it. It completely depends on how you learn as an individual as to whether you gain from “extreme serendipity” or not?

Another commenter, @twitter-6356102:disqus , brought up the point about retaining information too. Like I said to her: why do we need to retain information if it’s out there on the web available for access instantly, wherever we are, from a smartphone?

What you said about us learning more useful things other than general knowledge is really interesting – and I do agree. Perhaps the two points you’ve made link. We are able to access all of this stuff when we need it on the Internet, and as a result we can spend our time focussing our skills on, as you say, “filtering systems and learning methodologies” etc..

Thanks for the thoughts!

I agree that it’s useful as a student to follow the trails, so to speak, so long as you’re also taught how to evaluate the information you’re finding.

I don’t know that it’s an age thing to stop following the paths, but that could be an element.  Another one is focus – we get the answers we need, and then move on to the next thing.  Getting sidetracked into ‘Woah! Where’d that hour go?’ isn’t good for productivity.

And a third is that after a time of following the paths, you find the good destinations that you need.  The Trusted Sources, and so you don’t _need_ to wander the wild woods of the internet any more.  Yes, you risk missing other points of view, but that, to a degree depends on your selection of sources.  A well chosen, but limited set is better than grazing the whole web every time.

I think the ‘retained knowledge’ vs ‘being able to find information’ split is very similar to (the same as?) the Generalist/Specialist split I mentioned earlier.

Knowledge, especially published knowledge like you’d find on the ‘net, is only a distillation of the whole process of acquiring it.  The process itself is much more involved.  I would posit that it would be much harder to make intuitive leaps, or even good inductive/deductive ones without having the pieces already in place in your mind.

Actually, I’ve just read your earlier post about how blogs/websites can lead to a narrower worldview, and I agree.

The challenge is to ride the boundary between unnecessary grazing and getting trapped in groupthink, while still retaining the specialisation needed for our daily work.

I agree entirely that the Internet is leading to increased general knowledge among the population.  I have spent countless hours on Wikipedia, frequently navigating away to new pages that spark my interest.  From this single (though not always credible) source, I have learned plenty about a wide range of topics.  Information on music, film, sports, science, history, technology, psychology, business, fashion – it’s all at my fingertips waiting for me to seek it out.

Without a single lesson, I have become proficient at guitar performance and music theory, using the Internet exclusively to teach me.  The Internet (combined with limited personal experience) has taught me more about business than four years of university classes. 

I’m interested to see how the advent of this increased access to information will affect the way children are taught.  Although general education in schools is extremely important, hopefully the Internet will allow the curriculum to become more customizable.  If more students are engaged in the material being taught, maybe this will have a positive effect on the social aspect of schools, as well.  A child cannot bully another if he’s too caught up in the material.  With resources like the Khan Academy, it seems as if a certain amount of learning may be outsourced from schools entirely.