Importance of Sharing Information

The age of today is being called by many as the “Information Age.” People have always looked for efficient ways to share information. From cave drawings, to spoken language, to written words, telephones, and now the internet, it has always been very important to our species to share information. With the birth and evolution of the internet over the last few decades, sharing information has become infinitely easy. This is drastically changing our lives and the things we know about the world around us. With this easy medium to exchange ideas, things are happening and discoveries are being made faster than ever before. People are reading the facts and knowledge discovered by others and building upon it to create even more knowledge and clearer facts.

Science and philosophy are seeing massive benefits from this increased exchange of information. By being able to discuss with other intellectuals, these people are able to clarify thoughts within their own heads and help others clarify thoughts in theirs, working together to think through questions that in the past, without this free flow of information, would have been incredibly difficult to even consider solving. By using the internet to connect to each other, to help formulate the answers to some of these questions, we are figuring out more and more about the world around us. New findings and knowledge are being used to find even deeper levels of knowledge which in turn unlock new questions which are immediately tackled by this “web” of human minds.

This compounding increase in the discovery of new concepts and ideas also benefits those of us who don’t fall into the category of scientist or philosopher. The knowledge our human race holds as a whole increases whether you decide to participate or not. We have the option to find information on pretty much any topic known to man. People are taking advantage of this to train and educate themselves in any area imaginable. This then leads to a higher level of common knowledge as well as more and more specialists within certain niche areas of knowledge. This is building up upon itself and has allowed each and every one of us to become an “expert” in any particular topic.

The danger of a world with easy access to unlimited information is that some people get overwhelmed. Many, instead of exploring the vast seas of information available on the internet, decide to obtain their information through filtered mediums. Whether it be FOX News or MSNBC, many people have turned to their television sets to get their knowledge. It is very important to realize that you can’t believe everything you hear, especially on TV. These programs have one goal in mind: money. This, many times involves the skewing of, leaving out of, and embellishing of all this potentially good knowledge. The poor souls who eat it up as truth are left thinking that there is really only one right answer and that they have it. This is dangerous and detrimental to the greater good of our society, as it stifles the free flow of legitimate information and pits people against each other. The only way to avoid the pitfalls of this type of knowledge source, is to stop supporting it. Try to find your facts and information from more pure sources and if you are passionate about something, back it up with multiple instances of “proof.”

We live in a world which offers us a huge opportunity. An opportunity to expand your personal knowledge to a level never possible in the past. The internet has afforded our society the chance to find truth easier than ever before. But it must be understood that most of this information needs to be sought out. It is very dangerous when you let someone else filter the information you use to formulate your own ideas. Maybe instead of watching the evening news talk show, you can do some research online into an area of life that interests you. Maybe you can even get involved in this niche and start to add your own ideas and notions. If we all work together toward a common goal of truth, we will all get the answers to these ever important questions we all yearn for.