On the Internet, Access, and Knowledge

Writing Challenge Day Five Complete!

There are innumerable posts out there critiquing the internet and its influence, and rightfully so. There are plenty of reasons that the internet is not the greatest of places to be, nor the healthiest. However, we are wont to forget the many, many positives that the internet also brings. Besides the connectivity—which also plays into the double-edged sword of the internet—the most precious aspect of the modern internet that I’d love to touch on today is the accessibility to a boundless wealth of knowledge. That’s what I wanted to write about today.

Starting from YouTube videos with amazing channels dedicated to educational content and teaching people around the world about their specialisations, all the way to free access university courses from some of the top universities around the world. Platforms like Coursera and Skillshare, or edx, that allow you to follow along with courses and modules as if you were a part of the class, either for free or for fees that are drops in the ocean compared to the astronomical prices of some educations. People and groups, and now organised educational facilities are now spreading structured (and unstructured) lessons and knowledge around the globe.

Not to mention the plethora of communities out there formed by people looking to learn and to teach, and to share their educational journeys and experiences. Some of my closest online friends, among whom are those that I’ve befriended “IRL” as they say (In Real Life), are those that I have met through learning communities. Because they had a passion for a particular topic that I did. They shared that, and the internet enabled them and I to not only gain access to material on it, but also to connect with fellow enthusiasts.

We’re now able to access vast encyclopaedias and repositories, and instructors who have specifically dedicated time to deciphering that knowledge into digestible chunks that they’ve shared with us. You can now find an entire course outline for the homework that you were assigned, with a selection of users to walk you through it.

Never before in human history have passionate people had so much access to materials that they are passionate about, in so many different media and across such a vast amount of different platforms.

But this isn’t exclusive to those already passionate about something. The magic of internet rabbitholes is to me the fact that they are seemingly infinite. You can spend every single evening deep-diving into a subject that you’ve never even heard of before. And it’ll take you centuries to get through even a fraction of them.

I owe such a huge part of my knowledge to the internet, to the named and nameless YouTubers and educators and teachers that have helped me with my homework, understand assignments, or unlock new fascinations and widen my horizons from the comfort of my home. This is not to deny the enormous role that my educators and school has played in my life, not in the least. But I am on the incredibly fortunate side in terms of education. And one of the biggest benefits of the internet is that accessibility to everyone. I have friends and acquaintances that owe their careers and success to the fact that they had courses they could follow online in their free time after classes. This gave them sufficient bases to move forward beyond the scope of their available schooling. This gave them windows of opportunity. In much the same way, I was granted a window into the world of Japanese. I’m able to access hundreds of thousands (millions!) of hours of material in Japanese to train my ears. I am a part of communities with programmers developing and regularly releasing software that facilitates language learning and expanding your kanji knowledge.

This side of the internet brings out the passionate, and gives them a platform to develop their passions whilst sharing it with others. I am so incredibly glad that I’m able to be a part of it. I hope that I can contribute to sharing my knowledge someday as well. I certainly will try my best.

I often take it for granted. I think many of us do. But I invite you, reading this, to give the educational side of the internet a think, and a moment of appreciation.

A thank you to all those who create, share, participate, and enjoy learning on the internet. You’ve made it a wonderful place to be.