21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari provides important insight on the current issues and struggles facing humanity living in this modern age. Some of the difficult topics include technology, community, politics, war, religion, and education. Data and information are the main threads throughout each topic. “Those who own the data own the future” (Harari 73). Harari points out that data cannot be regulated since there is such an abundance, it cannot be stored in any one place, and it can be instantly copied (Harari 80). Computers and artificial intelligence are tracking everything we do but nobody knows where the data ends up, how it is being used or who controls it. Harari predicts that data will become more valuable than land and industry itself, and even politics will not have the ability to step in and control it (Harari 78). If this is the case what will happen to the political climate? Perhaps this is what we are already seeing with the deep polarization of the United States and the entire world.
We have focused our studies so far on learning about Information Communities and their need to adapt to the internet and the online world by exploiting and using technology to exchange information (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23). Harari argues that we should focus on the complete opposite by stating “a community may begin as an online gathering, but in order to truly flourish it will have to put down roots in the offline world too” (Harari 88). Companies like Facebook have certainly brought people from around the world together but what happens to an online community if a dictator denies access to its people (Harari 88). How will these online communities continue to share information if their technology or the power grid no longer exists? Will the online communities themselves cease to exist? Online communities should prepare ways to communicate as a backup. He also writes that physical communities have a depth that virtual communities cannot match” (Harari 88). This has made me reconsider the importance of online communities versus those in the real world. We focus so much of our time and energy using our phones and staying connected through social media, but maybe it is time we go back to forming more real-world gatherings. That is not to say online communities are not important but maybe we can create an equal balance between the online and offline world.
Another focus of the book is on truth. Social media has also played a great role in the spread of misinformation or ‘fake news’. As laid out by Marcia Bates “people are willing to commit very little energy and effort to seeking information” (Bates, 2017). As we have seen, people want to access information with the least amount of effort so even though the news on social media may be inaccurate, most people will not take the time to verify so it becomes fact to them and they share it online or directly with their family and friends. Harari takes this even further by saying that information and the truth have become so complex and distorted that even if you try to find the truth it will become difficult to verify that it is truth (Harari 230). This leads to a bigger question: Where can we go to get real information?
“If you want reliable information, pay good money for it. If you get your news for free, you might well be the product” (Harari 248). People not only want easy access to information, but they also want free information. Most people are not willing to spend money to read accurate and factual information. This is one of the reasons newspapers have had trouble surviving. They were slow to adapt to the digital age and it is hard to get those subscribers back with digital subscriptions. Harari claims that some of the only true information sources come from “peer-review articles, books published by well-known academic publishers, and the writings of professors from reputable institutions” (Harari 249). This is where we as librarians and the keepers of information must come in. We must find ways to make information easy to access and make it free so that truth can finally be free. It must be so accessible that people will turn to us instead of Google.
In discussing the behaviors of individuals during the search process, Bates coined the term ‘berrypicking’ in that people gather their information from many different sources and take bits and pieces which then becomes their knowledge. (Bates 2017). This mirrors Harari’s claims that people sort and categorize information based on its importance, then process that information which creates “a broad picture of the world” (Harari 265). We intake an overwhelming amount of information every day and only keep what is important to us since we cannot use it all. This also relates to Brenda Dervin’s sense-making theory that states that there is an “inherent intertwined connection between how you look at a situation and what sense of it you are able to construct of it” (Dervin, 1998). Ever since the Internet came out there has been a ‘flood of information’ at our fingertips making it even more important to quickly process and filter information. What will happen if the flow of information does not loosen? Will we drown in an endless sea of information?
Harari also looks at education systems and their immediate need to be revamped. “Too many schools focus on cramming information into kids’ brains” (Harari 264). Schools focus too much on learning actual information and making kids memorize dates and facts for tests instead of learning important life concepts and foundations that will be useful when they are older. As technology changes at an alarming rate, how will children let alone adults keep up with these changes? Will humans be able to endure the stress of learning new technology and skillsets every few years over a lifetime? (Harari 32). I believe this is one reason so many people are burnt out from their jobs and have chosen not to go back to work. They are trying to figure out what their next steps will be.
Harari’s book was a great thought-provoking guide to life in the 21st century. It provides ideas into how we need to change and adjust to living in a state where big data and artificial intelligence is beginning to change and alter life. It also serves as a cautionary tale that we need to take care of each other as a global community and focus less on our national identities. “Most of our views are shaped by communal groupthink rather than individual rationality, and we hold on to these views due to group loyalty” (Harari 223). Even though most of our beliefs are aligned with the information communities that we belong to, we must become culturally tolerant, less selfish, and search deep down for humility. This seems to be the direction of Library and Information Science with more programs focusing on cultural competency. Patricia Overall defines cultural competency as “becoming more knowledgeable about diverse cultures and using this information in ways that lead to greater understanding of diverse populations” (Overall, 2009). The more we take the time to understand different cultures, the more we can help create access and spread the most authentic and valuable information. This might be one of the only ways to bring the world together in the age of misinformation.
References:
Bates, M. J. (2017). Information behavior. In J.D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (4th ed., pp. 2074-2085). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS4
Dervin, B. (1998). Sense-making theory and practice: an overview of user interests in knowledge seeking and use. Journal of Knowledge Management. 2(2), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673279810249369
Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. Spiegal & Grau.
Overall, P. M. (2009). Cultural competence: a conceptual framework for library and information science professionals. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 79(2), 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1086/597080