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Global
Plaza in the Classroom
by Anthony Ross
Anthony Ross is a research assistant in the Faculty of Information
Studies at the University of Toronto. He can be reached by email at anthony.ross@utoronto.ca
While an information studies student at the Faculty of Information
Studies at the University of Toronto, I took a course that dealt
with information and culture in a global context, in which we were
introduced to the Global Information Village Plaza. It made sense
given the nature of the course, and one assignment in particular
required us to prepare a position statement about our thoughts on
the much-hyped information society and its implications for
us as individuals and professionals. In doing so, I quickly realized
that there was a lot more going on in the information world than was
evident to me in the course of my day-to-day studies or at the
reference desk where I worked part-time. Just because at school and
at work I did not necessarily feel like a part of the “global
community” did not mean that community, and all it entails, was
not there. It made me realize that there were larger, more sweeping
issues at hand that did not necessarily affect me in an immediate or
intimate way. However, these issues and ideas stayed with me and
continued to spur me to think about the role of information
professionals in society and in the world and to consider why forums
and dialogue (such as the Global Plaza) are important to any
development of a real global information society. That experience
made me think about answers to questions that I had never been
asked; some questions that I did not even know existed. I think it
is important that we as information professionals continue to ask
those questions and think seriously about the answers.
The globalization of information and the continued burgeoning
of the “information society” bring with them a complex array of
implications and effects that are, in and of themselves, difficult
to grasp. And beyond theorizing about what is going on in the
information world on a global scale and what might happen tomorrow
or next year, practicing information professionals still have to go
about their days and do their jobs. To me the “global information
society” certainly does exist in some form, but not simply because
we have named it so. Just because the world is more connected in
some way does not necessarily make it a community, a society.
We have to be careful of the potential to create in theory
something that is not there in reality. The hurdles to the creation
of a true global information society are the same hurdles that could
stand in the way of any global dynamic. Regardless of connectivity
or access, people still belong to different cultures, speak
different languages and view the world in different ways. Technology
does not necessarily recognize such differences. Furthermore, if we
are to talk about a global community of any kind, we had better make
sure that it is in fact global. A large part of the world is still
not able or capable of making a phone call, let alone engaging in
international collaboration using ICTs. I think we will miss an
opportunity if we allow the notion of the global information society
to follow along the North American business model and the ongoing
trends toward media ownership concentration. As participants in our
own information communities, based in areas of knowledge and
geography, we have to contribute in our own way to the ever-widening
information commons that many of us have access to.
Perhaps this contribution requires of us and our
organizations and professional societies a new perspective and a
broader context in which to view ourselves. If organizations and
associations actively look beyond their own borders into truly
international information waters then perhaps the effects would
filter down to their individual members. We all micro-manage our own
information worlds as it suits us and as we require, but it is
sometimes difficult to see the bigger picture, and our professional
organizations should help to situate our information contexts.
Collectively and individually, the potential for a global
information community offers the opportunity for social change and
involvement. With more resources and connections available to us now
than ever before, we have a chance to contribute to a sort of global
information commons, assuming we want to and that we understand what
we are doing. Conversely, the globalization of information could be
viewed as simply a bigger pool of resources from which we can take
what we need without much regard for giving back. These questions
are subjective and involve our personal and professional ethics and
philosophies. It would be naďve, however, not to consider the fact
that the information society is still an exclusive one, and how the
information science and technology community addresses that fact
will certainly affect the shape of things to come.
In considering the global information society, I think it is
important to remember that what appears to many of us to be
“global” is in fact just a portion of what is out there. It is a
representation of those countries or communities that have the
access and the ability to be a part of the information dynamic. In
the (at times) overwhelming information environment in which we
live, it is easy to forget some of the disparities that exist in the
information world and think that we really are all connected. Still,
the increased access that we do have provides us the opportunity to
experience more of the world and its cultures and people (in a way),
as well as providing us with a forum for these issues should we
choose to discuss them. Although I think a real “global
information society” is more of a catchphrase than a reality at
this point, we do have an opportunity, but we need to consider some
grassroots-level issues before we can really look around at the
world from the treetops.
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