The idea of freedom of information isn’t new - it’s been around since Ancient Babylon. However, knowledge wasn’t totally free. Rather than knowledge flowing freely among everyone - princes and beggars alike - it flows freely within a subgroup. The knowledge flowed freely within that particular group but was isolated from the outside. This closed system of knowledge could be represented by a drop of oil in water. The oil represents the elitist group with access to knowledge and the water is in the general public. If you drop a penny of knowledge into the oil it will stay there - in its own pocket of oil. The general public of water will never get a chance to access it but all of the oil can easily morph around it. Over time, the oil has gradually been saturated with water. With the civil rights movement even more water was added into the glass - saturating the oil more. Then, along came this little thing called the Internet which allowed the water was flowing extremely easily and was even making it into the oil. But still, not all water can touch the penny.
Now, we are taxiing down the runway towards a future of free knowledge. We are flying in the plane of Web 2.0. Web 2.0 isn’t about JavaScript or bright colors or big fonts. Web 2.0 is about social media and freedom of information. That is what lies at the core of such popular sites as Flickr, del.icio.us, and last.fm. All of these sites let you share something - whether it be your photos, bookmarks, or music. However, I have yet to see a social media site which allows you to share the greatest commodity of all - knowledge. When the day comes that we can share knowledge easily - whatever its form - Web 2.0 will truly have reached its greatest summit. The future of learning lies in social media and open knowledge.
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