Day 4: A New Kind of Knowledge

I find delight in my ENG111 class discussions. Today we discussed the "Fake Identity" Wikipedia article. Many of my students drew upon this as an example of why Wikipedia is not a reliable source; however, other students debated that it is, in fact, a reliable source of information, but it isn't always accurate.
Then the topic was related to Time Magazine's "Person of the Year 2007" - You. We discussed the idea that all this new media, instigated by the rise of the Internet, has created communities of information exchange that are unchecked, and therefore, in the academic realm, unreliable. One of my students, I believe a business/economics major, suggested that it was a "different kind" of knowledge. I beamed at the answer.

A different kind of knowledge... another avenue of rhetoric in the booming age... a new kind of knowledge, a knowledge that perhaps, as the owner of Wikipedia at least used to believe, relies on sharing and operates independent of "proven" identity. At the height, I would venture to say, this type of knowledge will cause many to offer opinions and ideas freely, without needing to feel importance through an alter-ego identity, nor having the desire to play on others' trust. In the ideal situation, this new kind of knowledge thrives on humans sharing, versus relying on particular humans.