Nowadays, people from different
parts of the world can get in touch easily, get to learn from each other more conveniently,
and understand the surrounding world broadly and profoundly; many mysterious
things are uncovered by so many available sources of knowledge. It’s not
because the size of the earth is getting smaller, but because of the enormous
contributions of the technology of communication to the world today.
One of the most recognizable
impacts of technology that Maria Bustillos discussed in her article, Wikipedia and The Death of The Expert,
is the usage of Wikipedia as well as its contributions to academic studies and
to the spirit of collaboration among good writers. Apparently, Wikipedia not only brings its own
advantages that offer rich and comprehensive sources of materials for doing
research or necessary studies, but also plays the role of a bridge to connect
oneself to the outside world, of a kind of “machine” to break through the shell
of oneself to reach out to others, and also of the public entry, where all
voices are welcome to contribute their thoughts and ideas to enrich the world
of knowledge and information. As David
Lochhead comments on the work of McLuhan in a very spiritual and theological
sense, “We take our technology into the deepest recesses of our souls. Our view
of reality, our structures of meaning, our sense of identity—all are touched
and transformed by the technologies which we have allowed to mediate between
ourselves and our world.” Experiencing
what is going on in the surrounding world, deepening the meaning of everything,
and knowing the identity of oneself through the technology of Wikipedia are possible
sources of theological implications
recognized behind the rich source materials of Wikipedia. Other than that, Wikipedia allows other
voices to be heard in contributing their talents and capability to the progression
of literature in the field. It shows a
great collaboration among writers, who are also great
thinkers. In a similar vein, Melody McMahon contributes an interesting point in
her article, Wikipedia and
Democratization of Scholarship that, “The collaboration can go even further
and maybe the time for rapprochement between ‘professional scholars’ and ‘amateur
scholars’ has come.”
Besides all the
advantages that the technology of Wikipedia has contributed to the world of
knowledge, the growth of a human person in knowing oneself and the outside
world, and the “charity” in allowing other voices to be heard are the great
theological implications of Wikipedia and democratization of scholarship.
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