There was a time when the professor’s word was the final claim. There was no point in refuting it. It had to be accepted, unchallenged and unbiased. Information was concentrated in a few heads and it was held there steadfastly.

But slowly came in a wave that shook the ground beneath the professors. It was a silent competitor, but a friendly guide, a genie that answered all questions put forth. It was unbiased, truthful and it never forgot once the piece of information that was stored between the HTML tags. It simply knew just about everything. It was omniscient. The wave was the tsunami of data that Google unleashed at the click of the button.

Google is the new Guruji in town. The bar of education has subtly been raised. As a teacher, one cannot bluff, nor can one just beat around the bush. There is easy access to all information. There is a bias for precise, updated information. Just type the word and the Pandora’s box opens up with a gamut of information. One has to be extra careful when dealing with information now. Actually, there is a flood of information and all of it can be verified and validated from a host of sources.

The game has changed now. No more is it about data or even information. It is all about knowledge, abstraction, concepts. One better know the why and how of a thing, since Google more often than not will throw what, when and where of that thing.

What it means for Academia?

For academia, this has meant a paradigm shift. When a student asks a question, more often than not, he already has read the basics and understood the working. His quest is for a deeper knowledge as simple data and information can be sought instantly. It has also accelerated the process of learning. Basics can be googled or wikied ( if I may call it so) and the foundation laid for higher or deeper learning. The academician need not waste time in starting from scratch. The average level of learning has risen and will continue to push the ceiling.

Change in interpretation of Knowledge?

What one knows is now a commodity. Anyone can get access to it at a click of a button. The value has moved onto knowledge and application. The leverage lies in linking discrete, disparate sets of data and then applying the concepts to reach a solution.

Another phenomenon uncovered is that mostly what one intends to do, there is a solution available somewhere in the world similar to it. It may not be same, but there is a high probability of it being similar. One has to have the knack to mine it, tweak it and fit it to the current problem. It has become simpler, if not easier. The path to success has been made accessible, but one still has to find the right path and walk it.

Concerns

Google Guruji has however raised a few concerns too. The ease of access has made minds idler. Students are cutting corners in assignments. Any challenge thrown to students eventually becomes a Google Query. There is always a solution available. At one hand, as diligence loses its sheen, mining is gaining momentum. How to get answers from Google for what we want is fast becoming a skill. There are articles, research papers and even books that are fast gaining traction for the tips and tricks to unlock Google’s vast information mine. In a way, Google has quenched the curiosity but throttled the exploratory attitude.

Besides, this ease of access has subconsciously bred superficial understanding. This leads to hollowness in thinking and shallowness in understanding. There is complacency creeping in students’ minds about learning. The on-the-platter access to information is in some ways blinding us to the actual truths of life.

Proprietary information also is leaking to the search pages and this has caused severe anguish in businesses and deep fear amongst governments. Access to information is a noble cause, but respect to privacy and confidentiality are being trampled upon in this pursuit. One man’s query is another’s man privacy. Who decides what is noble? Is there a universal law? Is there a universal moral?

Google certainly made information sharing a universal right – not only among users but also among businesses. So much so, that Google is more a verb than a number or a name. It has changed the way we think about problems, act on solutions. It no doubt has quietly impacted our lives in more than ways than one. Now, Semantic Web concept is fast gaining traction in the Web Space. It is expected to be smarter than the current search and hence closer to the actual answer sought in a search query. Researchers await with nervous excitement as the virtual world closes in on the real one with scorching pace.

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