Technology has Democratized Knowledge - Essay Example

Technology has democratized knowledge Technology has indeed democratized knowledge. It has allowedmany people to access information than in the past. Everything about learning has changed. Today one does not need to go to class to learn. In the last century, Universities and colleges used to be the bedrock of knowledge but not anymore. Thousands of people sharpen their skills on the internet every day. Many attend free online courses every day and some have excelled in life exceptionally. It is no doubt that education is an essential commodity, but the truth is that technology has flattened the playing field (Maasen & Weingart, 2005:23). Technology and Education Technology plays a large role in overturning barriers. Many people can improve their academic performances by learning more on the internet. There is a lot of resourceful learning material on the internet. In the past, it was hard to access education in prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, or Oxford. Today these institutions offer thousands of free online courses on various sites. They also offer free EBooks, audiovisual material, audio books, movies, and discussion forums that engage people from different corners of the world. Through such courses many people who would never have afforded the tuition fees in such institutions, improve their lives in many aspects. Some universities offer online degrees, where people can study and complete their courses in time and attend graduation with those who studied for the same degrees from a classroom. Classroom education is expensive, college fees have risen massively, and many people opt for the internet, to expand their knowledge. Millions of people visit search engines such as Google in search of knowledge. Some visit other sites such as Wikipedia for the same. People speaking different languages can access such knowledge in their native language and this has simplified learning (Maasen & Weingart, 2005:27). Technology and human development In the 21st century, the flow of communication has become easier courtesy of technology. People from different corners of the earth can exchange knowledge while seeing each other. Skype is an example, where one can communicate with someone thousands of miles away at the same time seeing him or her on the computer screen. This makes the exchange of knowledge not just ordinary, but exciting and participatory. Parents who are miles away from their children can still assist them in their assignments via such means of communication. Children can use computers at home to play various games, which in turn make them engaged and promote childhood development. Parents can learn how to handle their adolescent children by getting information from the internet. They can also play games using electronic gadgets and this hinders them from engaging from harmful practices such as drug abuse and sex (Onyemelukwe, 2005: 45). Technology and social development Communication Today, people have adopted emails as means of communication. They can send both official and non-official documents to other people around the globe. One can apply for a job or a learning opportunity at the click of the send button. Students can receive assignments from their professors via emails and they in turn hand them in using the same means. Through mobile phones, many people can exchange knowledge across the globe at minimal costs. Technology has democratized journalism. Readers and listeners are now creators of information, unlike in the past when they were just passive. Social media has enabled transmission of information at a quicker pace than real time journalists have. People can distribute such information in the form of photos, blog posts, and videos. This two-way conversation with different people has made journalism more interactive. Technology has leveled the platform for journalism since people across the world can comment and converse on the blog without the need of a TV, radio, or newspaper. This however, has a downside in that the unfiltered information can be inappropriate, untruthful, and offensive to some people. In the past, if something happened in another part of the world, one had to wait for a day or two to either watch news about such an occurrence on TV or listen to the radio. This is no longer the case because people who are in those parts of the world can inform other people of such an occurrence on social media within minutes (Gura & Percy, 2005:405). Most media houses have adopted the social media to simplify their work. By visiting their blog sites, one can get information prior to the news time on TV or radio. Digital publishing and reporting, has made journalism more participatory. The news is pure and not filtered as it is with news writers and reporters. Journalism is now more collaborative and the audience can publish news online on the same platform such as the news reporters and writers. This has made the work of newspaper reporters easier since they can edit news coming from both the reporters and the audience. Almost all newspapers are now on the internet where one can read, and one need not buy a newspaper. By visiting websites of such newspapers, one can easily access and download them. This has transformed the approach of journalism into a bottom-up approach, which is more collaborative, transparent, interactive, and open-minded (Maasen & Weingart, 2005:43). Human Resource and Marketing Most companies offer training through the internet. Human resource departments have adopted technology to offer training to their staff to enhance their skills and promote professionalism. Companies offer different types of courses from ranging compliance training to computer and IT skills to business skills. Through this, the companies promote the productivity of employers and cultivate talents and hidden skills, which could be beneficial to the company. The employers receive reading materials online and answer the quizzes comprehensively before submitting them back. This indeed promotes continual of education to the staff regardless of age or experience and makes them more marketable in the ever-increasing competitive 21st century market place. The staffs become better thinkers and more professional (Butler, 2011:33). Most companies have adopted E-marketing or online marketing per say. They use technology to expand their market and improve business through acquisition and retention of more customers. They design programs and database that market them competitively. These include analytics and campaign management. Most companies release attractive advertising commercials to media houses, to try to reach out to more people. They make the customer understand their products and services better and through this, they reach out to more people leading to increased profits, revenues and improve their competitiveness with other companies. The company also gets to understand the customer better through response to such commercials. They also change the face of the company through new advertising campaigns, new logos, and refreshed websites (Cheesbrough, 2007:67). Some companies have adopted E-commerce where they market and sell their products online and even carry out deliveries of the same products. All one needs to do is to read about the product on the website or the social media, request to buy and give your physical address or location. Pizza companies across the world have been effective in using this method. In this case, technology democratizes knowledge through brand recognition, pricing power and controlled distribution channel (Cheesbrough, 2007:69). Politics In the 21st century, many politicians in the world have adopted the concept of E-campaigning. Politicians use attractive slogans on their websites or social media accounts to try to reach out to more voters that are probable. They post their ideals, visions, missions, and manifestos on the blog and interact with thousands of supporters via the same means. They also talk about policies they plan to implement. Through the blog, they can inform the people on their next political rallies. They are able to reach more people through the internet than they would have in its absence. This shows that democracy do not only exist in the political realm but also in technology and knowledge (Armonk, 2008:34). Sports Technology has enabled many sports men to excel in various games. They can sharpen their skills on the internet and learn the tactics of their rivals via the same means. Through YouTube, they can master more skills and watch videos of their rivals. They can watch a repeat of their past performances in order to improve in their up coming games. Sports journalists around that the world, use technology gadgets to relay live transmission of ongoing games such as Olympics, world cup and other sporting events (Cheesbrough, 2007:75). In conclusion, it is no doubt that technology has democratized knowledge. It has allowed many people to access information than in the past. Today one does not need to go to class to learn, like in the last century when Universities and colleges used to be the bedrock of knowledge. Many attend free online courses every day and some have excelled in life exceptionally. In the 21st century, the flow of communication has become easier courtesy of technology. People can access information via emails, Skype, social media, and real time media such as radios, TVs, and newspapers. Technology has indeed democratized journalism and readers and listeners are now creators of information. Most companies have adopted technology to offer training to their staff and E-marketing to expand their market and improve business through acquisition and retention of more customers. Technology has also enabled politicians in the world to adopt the concept of E-campaigning. Sports have transformed through technology. Bibliography Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe. 2008. Improving democracy assistance: building knowledge through evaluations and research. Washington, D.C, National Academies Press. Butler, J. S. (2011). Global perspectives on technology transfer and commercialization: building innovative ecosystems. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar. Chesbrough, H. W. (2007). Open innovation: the new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, Mass, Harvard Business School Press. Gura, M. & percy, B. 2005., Recapturing Technology For Education: Keeping Tomorrow In Todays Classrooms. Oxford: R&L Education. Maasen, S., & Weingart, p. 2005. Democratization of expertise? exploring novel forms of scientific advice in political decision-making. London: Springer. Onyemelukwe, C. C. 2005. The science of economic development: the theory of factor proportions. Read More