After viewing this TED Talk video and furiously scrawling notes on what Mr. Kelly had to say, my first reaction is to acknowledge that his propositions about the ways in which the Internet and humanity interact are being validated more every day.
The position is validated by simply considering where my classmates are and what we are collectively doing right now. We each sit at a computer, separated by miles, sharing knowledge and information which we are then asked to reflect on with our own impressions- which are then forever associated with us and our presence online. We are re-posting this knowledge with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, GoodReads, Google+, various blogging sites, and undoubtedly other platforms I am overlooking. And every time we add this content- we share- the One is learning more about us.
Any of us using Facebook regularly see this truth all the time. The advertisements are tailored to our interests, friends are suggested to us based on mutual acquaintances, and it is practically impossible to visiting a website providing news stories, game website, or even our email accounts without the One asking "would you like to link your accounts, would you like to synchronize your contacts, would you like to view this logged in from Facebook"? Our physical presences are being represented digitally on a platform accessible to anyone, anywhere around the globe. Scary right? Pretty amazing too.
The issue of transparency versus privacy for personalization of our data is one of the issues that I think will be the most prominent deterrents for many of the current Internet users. (Pardon the broad generalization,) but older generations seem much less likely to volunteer transparency to their lives than the younger "digital" generations. My own mother refuses to use simple technologies like debit cards and she hated learning to use the computer at work. There just seems to be a greater reluctance or mistrust of the incomprehensible world wide web for that group. There are many in the generations before my own that do participate and develop a web presence successfully, but there are also many who struggle with being too transparent.
In the world of libraries and public access to materials, the change digital change-over is happening as well. When I lived in Chicago a few years ago I was thrilled to get myself to the public library and enjoy the splendor of the materials surrounding me. I had no sooner gotten my library card before I was given all of the options available to me. At the time I was an employee of Barnes & Noble and was giddy that I had one more way that I could try to sell eReaders to the public! "If you buy [device] you can use your Chicago Public Library account to RENT books!" Also available to me at the physical library location were 9 floors with computer labs for the public and wireless Internet access. Accounts are now manageable online, renewals, fines, inter-library loans, and for students almost an endless supply of online journals written on every topic under the sun.
Recently, a new acquaintance asked me about my program of study and when I told him library and information technology, he laughed and remarked about how it won't be long before we don't have public libraries any more. No sooner had the words escaped his mouth than my fiance (who is very tech savvy) swooped in and defended my studies by commenting on how despite the fact that we are moving into a more digital environment, libraries and public access are still going to be needed, be relevant, and need people to manage them. I agree with that statement. I do believe that the environment of the library is shifting to a more technological base rather than one which relies on aisles of dusty tomes, but the presence of libraries will always be valuable in society. Whether or not we have Google or databases like Academic Search Complete, users will not all have the base of knowledge necessary to navigate all of that data without the guiding hand of their local librarians. It's another question entirely to address whether or not they will need to physically visit the library to get help, as many libraries offer instant online reference librarians for questions and help with materials.
Regardless of the technology shift and the requisite adjustments we will all make, library and information science is an area that will always be both relevant and evolving.
(I will still always prefer the tomes).
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