There has been a significant change that affects how we learn. People requiring information about a subject used to have to visit a library and hope it had a book on the subject, then wade through to see if the desired content was covered. Alternatively, they could go to a bookstore, pre-Amazon, and buy a book if it was in-stock or wait weeks if it needed to be ordered. Then the public Internet arrived in 1993, but it took decades to evolve to the incredible source of information that it is now.
Accessing information was the primary barrier to learning, but that is no longer true. In our society, everyone has access to more information than at any other time in human history, and that content takes minutes—or seconds—to retrieve. If someone cannot afford the personal tools to access the Internet, public libraries provide them. With few exceptions, this transcends economic disparities with all of us sharing this vast oracle of knowledge.
“The algorithms that identify our interests, then feed us more of the same type of content, narrows the scope of what we see and hear.”
Futurists predicted that when the Internet evolved to contain the bulk of the world’s known knowledge, we would all be much smarter. That did not happen; rather, the opposite occurred. Based on English and math scores and the increasingly divisive nature of society today, we are becoming increasingly less intelligent. In large part, this is due to the unexpected dominance of misinformation, disinformation, and entertainment. The flood of entertainment has proven to be an addictive distraction from the value that can be derived from the Internet. The algorithms that identify our interests, then feed us more of the same type of content, narrows the scope of what we see and hear. It can compel us to scroll for hours while gaining nothing of lasting value. Long term, as GPS has proven to weaken our navigational skills, this can atrophy broader interests. It is the breadth of our knowledge that allows us to comprehend the interconnectedness and complexity of life and accurately assess threats and opportunities.
Access to information is no longer the primary barrier to learning—it is our will to learn, our ability to choose not to be distracted from learning what can help us in our lives and careers. There are online courses available, many free, that we can learn from, but we need to choose them over the compelling entertainment and social media options luring us away. Entertainment is not necessarily a bad choice as brief escapism, but its value to our lives is minimal. The rapidly accelerating pace of change in our world makes it critical that we pursue continuous education, not just to excel but to maintain our relevance and careers. The future belongs to those who can adapt the quickest, and knowledge is necessary for informed adaptation.
Everywhere I have worked there have been people who often said, “someone should have told them” and remarked that company communication was subpar. Sometimes this may be valid, but it sounds like they perceive information as reactive, and learning is proactive. Information does not flow to us as we need it, we must seek to find it. We have an obligation to be informed to be successful and effective, and we cannot expect that we will be told everything we need to know. The burden is on us to learn.
There are new tools that can expedite our learning process. If, for example, you are still using traditional search engines instead of AI search engines, you are now at a disadvantage. Consider that a traditional Internet search will return a list of potential links to, hopefully, relevant websites, some of which likely contain the answer you seek. An AI search using tools like Claude and ChatGPT, when prompted correctly, return the answer directly to you without the time-consuming steps of clicking on multiple links to extract it. That is technology helping us, and early adopters have an advantage. With this example, you need to choose to use the tool and learn how to prompt it correctly to maximize its effectiveness. Even this requires your will to learn.
We can learn from others. Our society is more mobile than ever, providing opportunities to engage. I have lived in 10 cities in six states and, fortunately, have been able to travel extensively while learning from almost everyone I meet, if I choose to engage with them. Engaging with others, especially those with differing opinions and interests, is an experiential way of learning. Our culture has also made it possible to withdraw from others. Amazon will deliver your essentials quickly, and most cities have numerous options for groceries and meals to be brought to your door. Our media tools make it seem as if we are experiencing the world from our homes. That is an illusion, as anyone who compares an image of scenic wonders to seeing them in person knows.
It is possible to engage with others online but, again, we only receive a partial experience. Body language is seldom visible on Zoom, and other telling mannerisms are not typically evident in two-dimensional online experiences. We need the will to get up off the couch and immerse ourselves in the world around us. Isolation can feel easier, but it limits our lives. This is another learning choice, forcing us to use our will to overcome the temptations that distract us and cocoon us from life. A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship was meant to do.
We are an evolving species with the pace of change accelerating and information coming at us like a firehose.
Approximately 75% of all existing data was created in the last 20 years. We need to have the will to seek relevant information. Filtering extraneous information takes a conscious effort, and our new tools can help us, but we need to learn how to use them. Computers are learning to speak human language in a helpful and conversational manner, but I read recently that their maturity level in this regard is that of a 5-year-old dog. If we make the effort to speak computer, in terms of how to ask our questions in the form of prompts, we can filter out the noise and irrelevant content. Once again, we need to make a conscious effort and use our willpower to learn this skill now to fully enable these tools to assist us. We are in uncharted territory with no historical precedent for the changes occurring in terms of technology and information accessibility.
Anything strong enough to help us is strong enough to hurt us. The key to avoiding the latter is knowledge and the understanding that comes from it. How we learn and much of what we need to learn is changing rapidly. If we have the will to embrace the inevitable changes then we differentiate ourselves with the potential for increased growth both personally and in our careers.
Mark Lien, LC, LEED AP, is industry relations consultant for the IES.