If not for the internet, many of us wouldn’t be able to follow the World Cup or — more importantly — discover South Africa’s fabulous recipes for ‘Bobotie!’ For some of us, we do remember a time before the internet, for others they do not know a world without the web.
What are the real legacies of any civilization? I would argue that knowledge and experience shapes and defines what people become and that sharing this collective wisdom is what brings out the best in a society and thus defines them. The exchange of knowledge, news, stories and information can change the world and often for the better.
By contrast, restricting information creates arbitrary sources of power that can be — and often is — harmful to any society, especially to a free one. I have often thought it was the lack of access to information and communication that creates social problems, economic shackles and impoverishes society. The lack of information and the inability to communicate is a poverty we can not see.
So, when most people think of ‘information poverty’, they think of the inability to have access to basic books and cutting edge scientific research and that well may be true. Availability is a problem that can be addressed but restriction is another. Back in 1993, while in New Zealand, I observed a discussion regarding ‘information poverty’ in Africa and strides are being made. Australia knows too well the value of information as they lead the way with school room classes over radio then television decades ago. Back in 2008, Google wrote a short blog about information poverty.
Personally, opening up the internet and making it affordable worldwide has and will continue to make huge strides in reducing information poverty, promoting understanding and increasing communication across the planet. As we make the world smaller, it becomes more understandable, interdependent, and economically viable.