My friend Bhupendra Khanal has put this very important post regarding the Intellectual Value. The main point of the post is that the Internet has degraded the quality of Information. Further, it has put down the real serious researcher and has increased plagiarism and so forth.
And I say, yes they have. But I want to argue on the basis of fact that its not due to the Internet alone but the changing society, which in itself is again affected by the Internet and other technology.
The information plays a key role to the changing society. It happened when radio and television was invented and it will happen with the Internet. How often do you hear a quality news these days in the news channel?.......Was it easy to answer or you had to think on it? Rarely, isn't it?
So you think Internet had to do with it? Whole Media is filled with JUNK. It has been like this for a very long time. The owner of the media has always been using it for his purpose and very rarely we find an unbiased story. The propaganda and every issue has been twisted for their own purpose. And it is very hard to go against them. Media has been influencing the societies state of mind for a very long time even before Internet. At least now, we have the right to go against them and say. "YOU ARE WRONG." At least now, we are all playing on the same level. Be it, among all the other junk that exist.
Further, let me clarify one other point. If there are two articles on the same topic one from a PhD graduate and other from a normal blogger. Which one do you prefer? PhD isn't it. So was that decision being affect by the media? I think its very normal to always believe in higher standard tagged by a degree. I am not against it, but I thing we have a right to argue on it no matter how long the research took. We still have the right to question and it being answered by the higher authority.
It is a long battle that started since the very evolution of mankind. Laymen versus the Intellectual Group. Remember Galileo who said earth is not the center? How was his life being tortured by the higher community because he went against and that he had no credential to speak against. Remember Einstein, he had to struggle with the whole physics intellectual department to prove that his findings were of importants. Remember, Faraday a book binder who found the connection between the electricity and magnetism. And also, the Mendel whose findings were accepted only after his death.
May be there are so many of them that have still been under the desk, suppressed to prevent the doubt against the higher society who supposedly are responsible for the creation of the information. But , I am not saying that the higher society has not created anything, they have actually contributed a lot to the society. But, on the other hand, they have always been resistance towards the findings coming from a minority. Its a long long battle.
For example, if I discover something in near future how am I going to justify it. I can't. I can only explain my findings and present them logically. But it might take years for other to accept it. But if it comes from the group of intellectuals then it will be imposed and very few could argue against it.
Therefore, I completely respect the information's value and its standard. Every one today can at least question and put his own thoughts on it. Today, we can peek into the minds of other people's from other society making us more connected. Today, our perspective has changed and its due to the free information. I would be so happy if all the researchers and professors start writing their own blog or knol so that everyone can understand it better. Instead of making their work accessible to few individual.
Lastly, information in itself is a living entity which exists as per its important. Anything junk will remain junk and will perish slowly. It's an age of Internet, so lets work together to make it better.
Today's world is governed by the technology created in University by researchers. We have the right to understand it and duty to express it. Imagine, every professors and researcher over the whole world sharing their findings, won't the education in it self be FREE. One such example is the MIT's open course.
"With great powers and understanding comes great responsibility."
If you think there is something wrong going on and you feel you can stop, ACT now.