I found it very interesting how Shirky describes knowledge. The whole idea of knowledge and who has what type of knowledge baffles me. Shirky clarifies it as, “Knowledge is the most combinable thing we humans have, but taking advantage of it requires special conditions” (2010, p. 140). There are so many different ways that people can communicate their knowledge among each other. Technology is just one other resource that helps us easily and instantly share our knowledge with the entire world, not just individuals who are geographically close to us. The use of technology to spread knowledge is very important: “Anything that lowers the cost of transmitting knowledge can increase the pool of knowers” (2010, p.141). As Shirky says, by using technology more people can know more things and have access to those things…why would you not want people to have the ability to receive more knowledge? I think technology, especially the Internet, is a great attribute to sharing knowledge.
Shirky, Clay. (2010). Cognitive Surplus. New York, New York: Penguin Group.
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