Democratization of knowledge, education, technology, and their shortcomings.
"We seem to all be racing to the future, but too many are hobbled in that race. Some are forced to watch from the sidelines, and too many are unaware the race is occurring at all."
Democratization of Knowledge
Throughout history, we can pinpoint three inventions that led to the expansion of knowledge to the masses. The inventions of the printing press, libraries, and the internet each gave access to laypeople knowledge once thought unthinkable.
Cultures throughout the world and time have long tried to preserve their knowledge, but no prior invention can contend with the modern-day behemoth that is the internet.
The internet moves vastly towards fulfilling a promise first made with the creation of writing systems - the promise of the democratization of knowledge. Meaning, instead of it being held and disseminated by a select few, knowledge is now consumed, propagated, and created largely from the ground up. No longer do clergy, universities, or a small handful of media companies dictate what knowledge is given and to whom.
Though, much to the credit of universities, they have been a part of the recent push to bring free educational resources to the global community.
Top-down structures are being unraveled, some to the benefit of society and in other areas, such as the near destruction of the newspaper industry, not so much. While we are given the gift of a multitude of thought leaders being a mere click away, we are also inundated with fake and salacious media. The good proliferates with the bad.
Democratization of Education
The concept of democratization of education is essentially autonomy within your own learning path, choosing how and what you learn. In addition, it's the idea that education is now in the hands of the many, not the few.
Free
In the last decade, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have exploded across the internet. These are generally university courses that can be taken by any individual with access to the internet for free. However, course credit is not generally given after the completion of the course, though that has been changing in recent years and is dependent on which course you choose.
Low-Cost Options
Several companies have cashed in on the desire for people to learn what they want, when they want, and how they want with classes available across a spectrum of topics. CodeAcademy offers a freemium model aimed at teaching coding and IT courses. Also, another online learning platform, CreativeLive, provides classes in photography, art, Photoshop, design, audio, and more.
Through easy access to knowledge, individuals can create their own educational pursuits. That being said, while a university provides a diploma at the completion of an individual's degree to show knowledge in a specific curriculum, this new method of self-pursuit of education puts the impetus on the individual to prove competency, to entice future employers through a portfolio or other means.
Certifications and Micro-Degrees
With the evolution of online learning, we see several online institutions partnering with industry to cultivate micro-degrees in much-needed areas where the skills gap is most predominant. Giants in the tech industry - the likes of Google, Amazon, IBM, and Intel - have teamed up with organizations such as Udacity to create exceedingly focused courses referred to as "nanodegrees".
This is an attempt on the part of industry to fill the skills gap and relatively quickly train people in high-demand areas in as little time as possible. The curriculums are generally hyper-focused on a given skill set to maximize speed and efficiency in learning.
You'll find courses in artificial intelligence, programming, autonomous systems, cloud computing, data science, cyber security, and more.
Though, keep an eye out for some of the free offerings they have!
Democratization of Technology
Democratization of technology is the concept that technology is more easily attained by a greater swath of the population. Physical technology, such as smartphones, is becoming less expensive, thus easier for more people to purchase.
However, it is more than just being able to have access to smart devices and computers. It is also the evolution of computer programs and apps that make once difficult tasks available to the many.
With Wix anyone can build a website without coding experience.
Canva opens the world of visual design to those who don't possess the expertise Photoshop requires.
Roblox has brought game development to a wider population. Even kids are developing games on the Roblox platform.
It's the concept of taking once difficult tasks that required a distinct skill set to accomplish, to now those tasks being easily accomplished by those without specialized training or knowledge.
Shortcomings
We seem to all be racing to the future, but too many are hobbled in that race. Some are forced to watch from the sidelines, and too many are unaware the race is occurring at all.
The Digital Divide
According to Statista as of January 2021, there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide. This is just shy of 60 percent of the global population.
Forty percent of the global population is not participating in the digital revolution.
Every week millions of people come online for the first time and are undoubtedly at a great disadvantage compared to those of us who have grown up amongst the evolution of technology.
But this is not just a problem of developing nations. Covid 19 laid bare the disparities in the United States.
How can we expect to stay a global powerhouse in industry and innovation, when too many of our children are not given a basic strong foundation within their early-education years, due to something as simple as a lack of reliable internet?
Language Barriers
There are more than 7,100 languages used around the world.
English accounts for roughly 55 percent of all online content. While services such as Google Translate make it easier to read material online from a foreign language, it is far from perfect and even a hot mess, depending on the language being translated. Some languages are easier for Google to translate than others.
Non-English speaking communities are shut out of much of the internet you and I know. This affects and limits individuals' ability to tap into many of the resources highlighted above.
Too Much Choice
If there is ever a problem to have this one is it. For those English speakers on the right side of the digital divide, we can look at the vast options the internet provides to us with exuberance. But, having too much choice is oftentimes crippling.
Imagine an individual who wants to, say, start their own online accessory shop on Etsy, but has little experience outside of making boot cuffs for their friends and family. This individual wants to broaden their future shop's selection and keep in mind they want to create a fashion empire with knowledge acquired solely online.
Should they start by:
Opening their Etsy shop?
Learning how to make new accessories on YouTube?
Read an e-book on the psychology of color?
Scour the internet for "How-To" marketing knowledge?
Create a website to attract and direct prospective customers to their Etsy page?
The answer is there is no clear answer, but getting stuck with indecision does nothing except prevent you from ever starting.
Open that shop, Sister.
Conclusion
Many of us are graced with an endless amount of opportunities. However, too many are not. We live in a time that is ever-changing and we must change with it to keep pace. Lifelong learning is needed now more than ever. We have the pathways to upward mobility within our reach and must continue to advocate for those who do not.
While I despise the term the "haves and have-nots", we should recognize that there is a growing chasm between us and those who are not connected online. We should be grateful for our own connectivity and seize it for all its worth. Lift ourselves and our children up to compete in a globalized economy.
And just as importantly, we should continue striving to ensure the same for our countrymen and our global neighbors.
Comments