This is the first time that I write a blog post. And quite frankly, I doubt that I will continue once my ONL journey has come to its end. Sure, one reason is that I don’t feel comfortable to put myself out there. I prefer to be a visitor in the www and leave as few footprints as possible behind once I close my browser window.[1] But more importantly, I think the internet is becoming like an attic that is so full of junk and it is more and more difficult to reach the valuables that we have stored there. And every upload is like yet another box in this endless storage space. We have created a digital knowledge hive, and with mobile devices and almost seamless internet connection we can access it whenever wherever. I don’t think that I need to highlight the immeasurable value of this knowledge cloud and how much I appreciate it. Research, insights, discoveries of any kind can be shared and accessed almost instantly.
But every coin has a flipside. Information is uploaded so fast that quality control is becoming very difficult, at times visibly impossible. In the digital space we enjoy an unprecedented freedom of speech, and even more: freedom of expression! But do we really need that many tweets, Instagram uploads, status updates, comments, forum posts? For once, this mass consumption of information numbs our critical perception. There is just no time to fact-check everything. Instead, we probably just swipe on, with the information slowly penetrating our subconsciousness. Information overflow can also cause infobesity – the inability to make decisions because of the over-presence of information. The huge amount of information causes stress and affects our thinking pattern and our decision-making process.[2]
It is at this point when I feel that it makes sense to speak of digital natives rather than residents. Although I understand why the term digital native is not appropriate in certain contexts, it does underline that natives have always been surrounded by the digital space. They were born in this attic and have never experienced limited access of information like people born before 2000 – both the advantages and challenges associated to information scarcity. It will be interesting to see how this will influence and inevitably transform our society.
As I read my own lines, I notice that the described view on this matter seems rather negative. Again, I want to emphasize how much I enjoy the ability to immerge into the knowledge hive. One beautiful example is Wikipedia.[3] Criticized and derided at the beginning, it became a platform of constantly reviewed information, living and growing through the input of many. Which brings me to my title “To blog or not to blog”, which can also be phrased as to “upload information of not”. As an individual – maybe not. But as a group of people – yes. Of course, this does not guarantee quality either, but it is more likely that a subject has been looked at critically from different angles, and that the authors have undergone a reflection process nourished by the input of others. To narrow it down to a practical example: it is impossible for me to read all blogs of this ONL202 course, not to mention the references that can be found in them. But I do have time to study the smaller number of assignments prepared by the PBL groups. And I can say that the insights and outcomes gained through the interaction with my group members would not have been possible through my isolated efforts.
[1] White, D.; Le Cornu A. Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 2011, 16, online.
[2] Renjith, R. The Effect of Information Overload in Digital Media News Content. Communication and Media Studies 2017, 6, 73- 85.
[3] Selwyna, N.; Gorard, S. Students’ use of Wikipedia as an academic resource — Patterns of use and perceptions of usefulness. The Internet and Higher Education 2016, 28, 28-34.
