Morgan Parker

The Information Renaissance is a term used to describe the increase of available information in the late 20th century continuing into the 21st century. The main catalyst of this increase of information exchange has been the computer, or more importantly, the Internet. The internet has made it possible for people to communicate and exchange information easier than ever before. When used correctly, having access to this information can be a wonderful tool, however, people need to share information with caution.

The exchange of information from person to person has never been easier than it is today. The Internet has made it possible to find nearly any answer to any question that could be asked. Search engines such as Google have made it so users can search for very specific information and be able to find it with minimal struggle. Websites such as Wikipedia have made it possible for people to post and edit information under one site regarding nearly any subject. If, for example, you are reading information about a topic and you feel you can ADD VALUE, then you can edit the information and add what you believe is relevant.

So we know that the Internet has made it easier for people to find reference information, but recent Web 2.0 applications have made easier to share personal information as well. Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, have made it where anyone can have access to a personal profile about you. This can be helpful for finding a job, finding friends, or just trying to make yourself known. Use caution when using any of these social networking sites. Giving out too much information can be dangerous or detrimental to your reputation. There is just some information that you should keep to yourself.

Now that people can exchange all kinds of personal information, many of these social networking sites have integrated Instant Messaging (IM). No matter where you are in the world, as long as you have Internet access you can chat with instantly with someone anywhere on the planet. Recently Google has created an application called GoogleWave where users can chat, email, blog, and upload a profile, all through one interface. This is going to change the we that information is exchanged. No longer to users have to use different sites for all of these different applications.

The information renaissance of the 20th and 21st centuries has made the exchange of information the easiest it has ever been. Most of this is very beneficial as long as it is used correctly. People should be careful about putting personal information out there for anyone to see. Being able to find information on any topic has no only made people more knowledgeable, but also has helped inspire people to come up with more creative ideas. I believe the information renaissance is going to continue to be a good thing as long as we are cautious of the information we put out there.