By MoneyMorning.com.au

I used to know stuff.

I achieved this by learning, by studying a given subject to know more about it. Learning and building knowledge is very important.

Well, at least it used to be important.

I think we might now be living in a world with a shortage of something really important. I’m not talking about oil, water, or food, though the world is short on those things.

I’m talking about a shortage of knowledge. I’m talking about future generations with less and less knowledge…where the simplicity and ease of accessing information is more important than learning information.

We’re shifting to a world of instantaneous access — at the expense of a world of life-long understanding.

Why I even began to think about all this is quite simple. I got a new smartphone.

OK Google

While away in the US, I broke my Sony Z1 smartphone. Since I got back from the US, I’ve been using a ‘dumbphone’. Technically, it’s a smartphone, but I’ll put it this way: It’s so old it’s not compatible with Twitter.

So for the last few weeks I’ve had no Viber, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter (on my phone) and — worst of all — no Candy Crush Saga.

But this all changed today because a brand new Google Nexus 5 entered my life. I’ve been trying to figure out for the last few weeks what phone to get. On the list were the LG G3, HTC One M8, Sony Z2 and a few others. But then I decided to go all out Google and Android.

This may come as a shock to many. But you have to understand I’m a real value for money guy. I want the best bang for my buck. The Nexus does not have the best camera. It certainly does not have the best screen. It hasn’t got the best processor or chipset and it’s absolutely not as big as some smartphones.

But it’s also half the price of the top shelf phones. Half. The. Price.

But it’s not half the phone. Most people would mistake it for a high-end phone double the price.

My penchant for bargain hunting aside, while setting up the phone, I discovered the best feature of the Nexus 5. Two words: ‘OK Google.’

 ‘OK Google’ is like Apple’s Siri…but better, much better. Even Hayley said it makes Siri seem ‘garbage’.

I thought I’d test it out, like really test it out. Now, the most important thing to note here is all I have to do is literally talk to the phone. No buttons to press, nothing to hold, nothing to swipe. I simply say, ‘OK Google…’ and ask my question.

Also if you’ve met me, you’ll know I’ve got a pretty distinct Aussie accent. This was surely going to be tricky for the device.

First question, ‘OK Google, what’s the London forecast this week?’ Less than a second later, the phone spoke back: ‘Here’s the forecast for London.’ And the full London forecast for the week was before my eyes. I tried a trickier location in another country. ‘OK Google, what’s the forecast for Mt. Buller this week?’ And there it was, the forecast for Mt. Buller, Victoria, Australia.

Next up, ‘OK Google what was score of the QPR vs. Hull game?’ QPR 0, Hull 1. Bummer.

Then I decided to get crafty. In London, there’s a TV show called The Great British Bake Off. Addictive TV. But I’m not going to go into that now. One of the celebrity bakers on the show is Mary Berry. ‘OK Google, how old is Mary Berry?’ I wasn’t more specific than that, but almost straight away, the phone spoke back: ‘Mary Berry is seventy-nine years old.’

That impressed me. I went bigger.

‘OK Google, how did the universe begin?’ less than a second later, the phone spoke back. ‘According to UGCS, California Institute of Technology, according to the big bang theory, the universe began by expanding from an infinitesimal volume with extremely high density and temperature. The universe was initially significantly smaller than even a pore on your skin.’

Wow.

Now that I did not expect. This went on for hours. Every time I wanted to know something, I asked my phone. And it gave me the answer every time. Of course, I already knew the answers to many of my questions, but that’s because I learnt learn them in the pre-smartphone era.

Say goodbye to the age of knowledge

As a kid, when I wanted to know something, I’d ask mum and dad. And they’d tell me to go to the library and find a book on it. That was how I learnt stuff.

Now, kids can just ask their phones. And it gives you the answer. No digging around or visits to the library. The information is there on a silver platter…or a black, rectangular smartphone.

It’s possible this will lead to a generation of kids who are exceptionally good at finding information, but horribly bad at retaining it. Why would they need to? Why waste hours on end at a library absorbing legitimate knowledge? They don’t. Those with enough drive might go online to download a research paper, browse an encyclopaedia, or perhaps even download or attend an online course.

But many will simply ask their phone.

I think this could lead to a great divide — not between the rich and poor, but between those with knowledge and those without it.

If you ask a high school graduate today about the big bang, they’ll likely give you an answer. In 30 years, though, you might ask a high school graduate the same question, and they’ll ask their phone. Or wonder why you didn’t ask yours.

There’s no doubt the technology is impressive. It still blows me away. But with this kind of technology, we have to think about the consequences. Some are good; some, potentially, are bad.

We might be in the information age, but it seems we’ve already lost the age of knowledge.

Regards,
Sam Volkering+
Editor, Tech Insider

Ed note: The above article was originally published in Tech Insider.

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By MoneyMorning.com.au