Internet has made information a mess. What can be done about it?

The human exchange of information has come a long way. The invention of writing created less dependence on oral tradition and demonstration. The printing press revolutionized writing by making information much more freely available. These things greatly increased the chances of additional discovery and adding to the knowledge base. However, they did create “gatekeepers” inclined to suppress information that could undermine their authority.

Information is no longer subject to censorship by special interests since the advent of the internet (World Wide Web). This new interactivity with information will no doubt revolutionize information many times more than the printing press. However, there are many significant drawbacks with potentially severe consequences with the newfound freedom.

Anyone being able to publish anything first undermines the authority of knowledge experts, and although gatekeepers sometimes seek to control information for their own purposes, they do function as editor to verify quality of published content (when there is a market for it at least). Not all information is equal.

Interactivity of information and collaborating with others (Web 2.0) also has its limits because thinking and research skills are confined to the abilities of the group. There need to be experts and gatekeepers. A solution may be developing tools for research and peer-review that “train” groups to be better (and responsible) providers of information, while also giving easy access to field experts and librarians.