Issue Analysis Paper
Introduction
There is no doubt that the web is a good source of information. However, it is still debatable whether the web facilitates the creation of new frontiers of knowledge or not. On one side of the debate, there are those who argue that the web acts as a catalogue of the existing information while, on the other hand, experts argue that the web helps in detecting the areas where there is insufficient information thus creating an avenue for development of knowledge. Nonetheless, the web is complex, and it serves multiple purposes. Therefore, it is difficult to narrow down the purpose of the web to one or two functions only. However, while it is indeed true that the web functions much as a catalogue of information, the subtle contribution of the web towards development of knowledge cannot be downplayed.
Information Sharing is not the only Role
The main purpose of the web is to create a platform for sharing and disseminating information and ideas. Many websites are created along this mantra. For example, some websites advertise company products; others provide information about specific organizations and other websites are a source of news while some shares information about certain topics. Although the list is not exhaustive, these are some of the roles of the web. In essence, the derivative function of such websites is to share information to the public. However, in most cases, the unseen function of such websites is to foster development of human knowledge.
In his article, The Web Helps Us to See What Isn’t There, Eric Drexler points out the potential impact the web can make towards the development of knowledge. Drexler argues “as the web becomes more comprehensive and searchable, it helps us see what’s missing in the world” (48). Drexler believes that the “emergence of effective ways to detect the absence of a piece of knowledge is a subtle and slowly emerging contribution of the web” (48). Ideally, everyone searching on the web is engaging in absence detection since the action of squeezing information out of the web is also an act of detecting the information that is absent. However, the process of detecting the absence of information needs to be made more reliable and user-friendly.
According to Drexler “absences are invisible, and when they are recognized (often tentatively), they usually operate indirectly, by influencing the thinking of the people who create and evaluate knowledge” (48). If the process of absence detection could be made better, the society would blunder toward somewhat better decisions (Drexler 48). Drexler’s argument on the impact of the web on human development is shared by another web enthusiast called Anura Guruge.
According to Guruge, the current developments in the web technology make it possible to create knowledge bases, with the sole purpose of creating flexible medium platforms that represent factual controversies (82). To facilitate access, Guruge suggests the creation of knowledge bases that do not use programming language. The use of non-programming language would enable people without an in-depth knowledge of programming knowledge to participate in the development of knowledge bases.
Another means through which the web contributes to the development of human knowledge is through destruction of anti-knowledge. Anti-knowledge, in this case, refers to the false ideas. The web creates a platform for discrediting false ideas and replacing them with true ones. This process of destructing anti-knowledge contributes to the growth of human knowledge. Although this process mirrors validation of knowledge, it is materially distinct from validation. Lastly, the web leads to the development of human knowledge through “building the confidence that the expected result does not exist” (Drexler 48).
For any idea to grow, someone must have invested their time on it. This leads to the development of a novel idea into something substantial (Oberst 130). Though absence detection, the creator of knowledge would have the confidence that the novel idea developed does not exist. Consequently, this helps to avoid costly duplication.
Controversies
The view that the web exists to foster easy access of information only is misleading. Admittedly, sharing information is one of the primary roles of the web, but not the only one. The web serves multiple functions that are not limited to sharing information (Sleeman, Potter and Robertson 83). For example, there are people who visit the web looking for specific information, product or service. Ideally, this means that such people do not visit the web to share information, but to seek information. Researchers may also take to the internet looking for new pieces of information in their different areas of the profession. Therefore, the argument that the main function of the web is to act as a catalogue of information is false.
In addition, the argument that the web cannot create substantial development of human knowledge lacks merit. Through better absence detection, it is possible to create a medium that is good at presenting factual controversies, as well as factual consensus. For example, Drexler suggests the creation of a social software and community that would operate to draw forth and present the best evidence on each side of a factual controversy. This community would operate on Wikipedia like norms, but also encourage the presentation of ideas that are far from neutral.
In a perfectly operational system, “competitive pressures would encourage the best advocates in each field to participate, and the structures and constraints of the medium would drive advocates to pit their arguments head-to-head and point by point against each other side’s best arguments” (Drexler 50). This system would make it difficult to ignore or caricature an opponent’s arguments, thus making unsupported arguments easily recognizable. This innovation would provide a single place to look for the best arguments that support a particular debate and the best counterarguments against the debate (Drexler 50). It would also be the place “where the absence of a good argument would be reason enough to think that none exists” (Drexler 50).
Nonetheless, better absence detection requires good search and dense information, something which is not easy to attain in the first place. However, as the process becomes effective it becomes possible to detect gaps in the web. Existence of gaps in the web also indicates a gap in the world itself. However, as the critics of the absence detection process point out, the workability of the system Drexler suggests has not been put to the test.
As of now, the assumption is that the system would work perfectly without arousing difficulties. As the critics point out, while the system may or may not work, no one has ever tested the process. However, this is not the correct estimate because web applications such as Wikipedia work along the same lines suggested by Drexler. For example, advocates can offer their contributions on any topic in Wikipedia. The only difference is that instead of pitting the best arguments for a debate head-to-head with counterarguments, contributors can only modify the information provided (Fischer-Hübner, Duquenoy and Zuccato 162). Therefore, the creation of the community suggested by Drexler is not an entirely novel idea, but an improvement of existing avenues for development of human knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is undeniable that the web serves a myriad of purposes that include but not limited to sharing of information. However, recent developments in web technology indicate that there is immense potential for the web to contribute to human development. According to experts, this raw power can be tapped, through the creation of a social softwares and community (operating on a set of norms,) to provide the best platform for presenting evidence on each side of a factual controversy. The intricacies of such a community would ensure that the best arguments are put forward head-to-head against the best counter-arguments.
Works Cited
Drexler, Eric. "The Web Helps us to See What Isn't There ." Broauchman, John. Is the Internet Changin the Way you Think? . London : Atlantic Books , 2011. 48-50. Print.
Fischer-Hübner, Simone, et al. "The Future of Identity in the Information Society." Third IFIP WG. Amsterdam : Springer , 2008. 160-168. Print.
Guruge, Anura. Web-to-Host Connectivity . Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press , 2000. Print.
Oberst, Robert. 2020 Web Vision: How the Internet Will Revolutionize Future Homes, Business & Society. Boca Raton, FL : Universal Publishers , 2001. Print.
Sleeman, Derek, et al. IOS (2003): 81-84. Print.
