Mohamed Al Junaibi (@maljunaibi)
Isaac Asimov once said: “If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.”
What is knowledge? A teacher once said to me that knowledge is simply knowing the truth and what is true. He did continue to say that wisdom is like knowledge but with something extra; it is knowing what is true and why.
People have so many times committed the mistake of interchanging the two somewhat similar yet very distant concepts. Today, we have a wondrous marvel in front of us. We are at the crossroads of what many people are now calling the “knowledge economy”; an economy solely based on the selling and trade of “intellectual properties” (in many cases non-tangible items) and later sold to others for profit, like any goods organization. This economic model is not small in size, but rather a constantly growing model for businesses. Unlike the traditional forms of economics, there is usually a finite supply of whatever is being traded.
The development of “knowledge goods” and gadgets are constantly marketed towards humanity in many ways. We are told that we are part of something revolutionary that we must all share. One needs not to look any further than the usual big name companies like Apple and Microsoft, unveiling today’s technology, promising us towards a better world. A world where we are all networked and connected via the many outlets where you become a part of the mega media machine.
Now hold on to that thought. What does this have to do with me? This scope of business does not end there. Normally, we would think that our role would have nothing to do with such a model of business but in this day and age, 99% of the social networking sites and applications tend to be driven by the advertising aspect. Companies are now able to selectively market items to the select and distinct category of people, simply because we have allowed them to have a good bulk of our personal information, likes, and dislikes. You name it, and they would probably know about it by now. People can now Google themselves too and are usually associated with such outlets.
You have become a part of the knowledge economy. Albeit, the other part of it. Though at the will of a select few, the majority of us are the ones now being constantly bombarded with the latest trends that they want to export, to the target market of which we belong to. It virtually costs them nothing to do that. Yet, their returns are quite high and I am pretty sure they have broken even already.
While the knowledge economy can sometimes be a destructive force to reckon with, it is a level playing field. Yet, through involuntary ignorance, we seem to not be able to grasp the full picture. In a world that is supposed to be heading towards a better a truly global economy, it is quite sad to see some people seem to feel the brunt of it all. This is supposed to be humanity’s stride towards the better.
Thank you Isaac.
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