Increasing democratization of knowledge

Description:

The democratization of knowledge is the acquisition, creation and spread of knowledge by the common people, not just by privileged elites such as priests, politicians, academics and powerful organizations [1]. Throughout the ages, all different kinds of institutions have been using the authentication and spread of knowledge as tools for control and exclusion [2]. Thanks to printed press, increased wealth and a growth of educated people knowledge has become available for more and more people. Knowledge, once something exclusivity for the elite, has become a commodity. Recently, the Internet has made knowledge sharing and creating easier and cheaper than ever. A well known example of knowledge democratization is the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Since the Reformation and the Enlightenment, people have become more and more independent. Next to technical and social developments, also politics have been important to the knowledge democratization process. Since the 1970’s, Western politics has had an increasing interest in the mobilization of the public [3]. A more horizontal, open-ended model that aimed at engagement replaced a linear, top-down communication model with pre-defined objectives and messages. Citizens have been more and more considered to be relevant actors in the public sphere and in political decision processes [4].

The democratization of knowledge has huge impact on organizations and governments. They cannot establish their monopoly of knowledge anymore. If they want to keep attracting their customers, partners and other stakeholders, they need to acknowledge that the new power is to the global community on the World Wide Web. Central principles of operation are collaboration and openness [5].

Enablers:

• Increase of educated and literate people [6]

• View on people as rational, independent and critical thinkers

• Development of political democracy

• Availability of information [7]

• Development of internet technologies (Web 2.0)

• Role of intellectual in society / Anti-intellectualism

Inhibitors:

• Growing monopoly of search engines (Google) and editors of wikis

• Censure

• Growing critique from experts on the quality of the common generated content

Paradigms:

Knowledge is not a static thing that is merely generated by experts and professionals. Knowledge is something that is co-created by everyone who is interested in a subject. It is dynamic and continuously changing.

Timing:

• 15th century: printing press made knowledge available to small group of literate people

• 18th century: workforce becomes literate

• 19th and 20th century: liberalism, enlightenment. People are more and more seen as independent and rational thinkers

• Mid 20th century: wish to strengthen citizens’ voices and enable active participation, internet makes knowledge available in an easy and cheap way

• Start of the 21st century: the increasing availability of the Internet and development of Web 2.0 enables more and people to share and create knowledge globally

Web Resources:

1. Democratization of knowledge on Wikipedia: [8]

2. History of democratization of knowledge: [9]

3. Increasing interest in public opinion: [10]

4. Communication, from top-down to participation: [11]

5. Impact of knowledge democratization on companies: [12]