Balkanization

The internet is a system which is subdivided into separate enclaves….this can be described in terms of Balkanization. The breakdown of cooperative arrangements due to the rise of independent competitive entities.

With this break down, individuals who have access to the internet, then gain access to unlimited sources of information. The internet can provide answers to all of life’s questions, from an online doctor to learning a procedure in Microsoft Excel. However, these answers are rarely questioned for the reliability. This poses the question of whether or not the internet is a valuable asset as a source of information.
This unlimited amount of information also poses another question… are people gaining collective intelligence from the internet? Or are they actually getting less and less intelligent because they rely on the internet for everything and no longer need to memorize and/or retain information?

There are two sides to this coin, some theories support the notion that the internet supprts collective intelligence, that says that with all sorts of people from all over the world sharing information, there can not be a down side to this. People are learning about issues that are going on all over the world that normally, without access to the internet, would not be possible. The internet is the perfect means to broaden our world view.

However, the other side is that the internet may actually reinforce our biased views of the world! Dr. Strangelove (strangelove.com) mentioned in class how the search engine google.com actually keeps track of the terms that are searched for and future searches revolve around what interests a particular individual….therefore, no matter how diverse someone thinks they are being and no matter what they search, the search engine itself actually refines searches to revolve around past interests.

So, it all depends on what theory you decide to believe….personally, I love the internet and I search absolutely everything. However, I do know that not everything is reliable. I also do believe that the internet builds a collective intelligence, I can get so much information on the internet and personally I can rely on my brain to retain what I learn. I use the internet as a tool for entertainment and education and it has never really let me down. It may not widen my world view but as an individual I think that I am pretty open minded and that that is not a great danger for me!