Information and Learning..

" As societies all over the world have more and more access to new information the effects on lifelong learning can only be positive. "

The world is no longer a huge place to live in. The idea of world being a global village has materialized with the revolution in communications and advent of the internet. Gone are the days when Pheidippides ran all the way to Athens to deliver the message of victory and the run claimed his life. The globe has shrinked with all the parts constantly connected by wired, wireless and satellite connectivity. It is the age when i can call up my friend on the other side of the globe just to say 'Hi' in a matter of seconds. This revolution in personal communication is only a manifestation of the countless avenues that the connected globe has opened. The biggest advantage that has emerged is the universal availablity of a huge pool of shared knowledge and resources. With all the people sharing information on all sorts of subjects imaginable you can do away with your ignorance on a flip of fingers. No longer do i waste time figuring out 'what might that mean ?', i just google it out and get the exact and complete information. With all the knowledge mankind has accrued so far being available to all, there is no more a fear of loss of critical information. Not only can one save the information from perishing now but can also broadcast it universally. The quantity and ease of access to information has therefore made it possible that any new development or news quickly trickles down to all societies around the globe. However the effect of this convienient availablity on the learning process has been a matter of analysis and debate.

One side of the coin is that information flow is not blocked anymore. Anyone who wants to learn or keep updated with the latest developments today is no longer handicapped by lack of availablity of authentic knowledge. We have realised that inavailablity of information should not hinder anybody's development and that is the reason why right to information has emerged as one of the basic rights. The increased interaction between people all around the world and free flow of ideas have together brought up a uniform international attitude and culture in existence. With the east and the west, north and the south mingling and interacting, native and rigid ideas have blended into a potpourry to bring about a common understanding. Also the cognizance of a diverse range of subjects and familiarity with different opinions have helped to create a race with increased sense of civil responsiblity. When you can feel how your actions affect the world, you strive to play your part right. Hence, the mutual learning through access to global knowledge can be seen as a tool to wipe out the negatives in a particular society and adopt the good ones.

Again, in the present times information and knowledge are sources of power. They can be used equally for good and bad motives. It can also be debated whether the same information is equally beneficial for all sects of people. For example, the knowledge of explosives can help a terrorist make a bomb and at the same time help someone prevent a blast. The information related to war and violence can help an adult develop a non-violent attitude but at the same time may induce a violent attitude in a child. Different kinds of societies can interprete same set of facts differently which could or could not be good. Also since all of it is readily available, the attitude to reach out to the truth through practical experience has suffered. The child who knows the result of an experiment will only perform it with a half heart and biased mind or may be, not do it at all. If people become totally dependent on the shared pool of knowledge and never take the pain of figuring out anything by themselves, there would never be any innovation or improvement over the existing scenario. Again, increased knowledge can also accelarate the innovation process. The gist of all speculations here is that one must make prudent and effective use of the global knowledge in order to learn in a positive way.

However, in any case, it is not prudent to restrict the flow of information on account of the bad use it can be put to. Truth , whatever it may be, has to be known to all. And again as they say - Knowledge is not what you know but what you do with it.