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Written by Brian Austin
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Tuesday, 01 June 2004 |
Seems like everyone is an expert these days. Whether you're looking for the experts to help you file your taxes, fix your brakes, or make the perfect half pound burger, experts seem to be everywhere. But why do we feel the need to consult with people more knowledgeable than ourselves? Maybe it's because we don't want to languish in ignorance, or maybe it could be a side effect of the information age.
10+ years after the Internet's inception, it has become America's #1 destination for research on things we know nothing about. Which in many cases is precisely the problem. Unlike in times gone by, the Internet allows anyone and everyone to publish their thoughts, feelings and views for anyone who wants to read them. While it seems like a bold experiment in free press, it also leads to a lot of bad information being published. Facts are overlooked, cause-and-effect misanalysed and opinion injected into alleged objective criticisms. The problem has become so bad that otherwise useful communities where folks can sound off about products and services have become overrun with advertisements, competitor bashing and generally nonuseful commentary.
Another problem that faces us today is the fact that the more we research and find out about subjects, the more we realize we don't know. If you take everything you read on the net at face value, eventually you will yearn for the real answers. Most of the time this desire for accuracy leads us to consult the experts. As luck would have it these experts are available, for a small fee of course. Early predictions of the Internet claimed that it would soon replace print media, and that subscriptions to online media would overtake the book and magazine world. But if anything, people are buying more books than ever. It seems that there is something more reputable about hard copy.
But who has time to read all those books? Apparently Americans do. It may seem like our lives are busier and more hectic than in days gone by, but by most accounts we actually have more free time now than ever. Modern conveniences have made exhausting daily chores a thing of the past. Still some people can't find time to read books, and often turn to other forms of media like television. And it's here that the experts once again appear.
Check the nightly news on CNN or FOX News and you'll be greeted by cheery faced reporters interrogating resident experts about the implications of daily events. These experts are more than happy to explain the intricacies of political policy, fashion, or the weather in 15 second sound bites. While the format is easy to digest, it often doesn't leave time for deep thought. Not surprisingly, many of these experts also write books, and enjoy the fame of being popular authors as well as TV personalities.
So why do we put so much faith in the experts? We'd like to think that they know something that we don't, that they can help us understand complex issues. Some people even think that "experts" can draw all the conclusions for them, and they can just adopt the viewpoint of their favorite commentator. But there is a danger in blindly believing the word of so called experts. While they may bring up topics and ideas that we rarely think about, it's still important for us to think about those issues critically before we form our conclusion. Otherwise, we wander through the blinding fog as if we were ignorant all together.', '', 1, 45, 6, 'rax', 'No facts or figures were harmed during the making of this article. |
