However (and that is a huge however), the chapter entitled, "Social Knowing" is where Weinberger really puts it all into perspective for me. He writes, "It's a pragmatic utopian community that begins with a minimum of structure, out of which emerge social structures as needed" (139). It's reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, but with grown-ups and electricity.
He also says,
"By announcing weakness without hesitation, Wikipedia simultaneously gives up on being an Oz-like authority and helps us better decide what to believe. A similar delaminating of authority and knowledge would have serious consequences for traditional sources of information because their economic value rests on us believing them. The more authoritative they are, the greater their perceived value" (141).And this, really, is the true success of the Internet.To completely dismantle the idea that only those who are in the profession of publishing can make the decisions regarding information is the web's absolute crowning glory.
And this has long-reaching implications. We already see how Wikileaks is holding the government more accountable to their actions. The posting of government documents to a format that is publicly viewable is the first step in our citizens reasserting their democracy. There is a great parallel, I believe, between our passive acceptance of information through traditional channels (Encyclopedia Britannica) and our acceptance of what our elected officials do in Washington. They are those "experts who filter and weigh the evidence for us" (143). This seems to me like the beginning of a great awakening in America. Wikipedia may well be the first sign that our country is starting to realize "government for the people, by the people."
Where does Sir Tim Berners-Lee live? I'd like to send that man some flowers.
I like how hopeful your blog posting sounds. I don't believe that the internet has any real special power. However, when people get excited about something, they can use the internet as a tool to do something amazing. Keep your enthusiasm about monitoring the government and staying informed on what is going on world wide, and you can do something great for all the passive listeners and readers and even passive internet users out there.
ReplyDeleteIt is not the internet that holds the power of change, it is the users. It is not Wikipedia itself that made a great encyclopedia, it is the communication and compromise of its users. This, I think, is an important point to remember.
I think your post is a lot more articulate than mine. I had the same response to his views on the web and his point about wikipedia. For too long we (Americans) had to trust that our leaders were telling the truth. However, now we can examine the words within their speeches and look back at the video to see if what they are claiming is really what is in fact true. A few days ago, I saw this happen on cnn when the resporter was interviewing the main man behind the craigslist sex scandle (if that is what you want to call it.) Since he was accusing her/ cnn of demanding he meet with her and basically making him look bad, she countered by using a smart board to navigate through his speech and then show the interview she held with him to defend her position as a news reporter. Because of her ability to immediately go back through the old footage of the speech and of the interviews, her argument was proven true. On the other hand, he looked just plain guilty. Just as you had mentioned, the public has more power to make informed decsions about issues and problems-- and no longer needs to just take anybody's word for it. I think Weinburger makes a solid point about the power of the web for the American people. To be able to double check information and determine what is really true is a move in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteMy own post was a bit less optimistic than yours, but you definitely hit some great points. I was thinking about the recent uprising in Iran, and the extent to which it was enabled by services like Twitter. In our own country, people have certainly become less willing to accept information that our government and news-outlets portray as true. This skepticism is so healthy, and like you, I think the web has done a great deal to enable it.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, my favorite line from you is this:
ReplyDelete"It is not the internet that holds the power of change, it is the users. It is not Wikipedia itself that made a great encyclopedia, it is the communication and compromise of its users. This, I think, is an important point to remember. "
So very true! Thanks for reminding me.